Winners of Norton Cup

Another good win 3-0 vs Taranaki. Fantastic to finish the week on a high.

vs Manawatu

7-0 win against Manawatu. A classy display, especially in the first half.
Great to see Josiah and Sam C on the field contributing well.
The boys coped calmly with some unusual refereeing calls - a disallowed goal (no one knows why)and some weird PC opportunities given to Manawatu from well outside the goal.
Ryan took a fast driven ball to the chest and will have a colourful war-wound to show; he scored the first goal off a stroke, giving him a 100% stroke record.

Fantastic a WIN!

A well executed and deserved win at last. The crowd went wild - 'Tana' hats flew into the air and many a supporter's blood pressure dropped to safer levels. Good work coaches.

Finally we saw some intensity on attack and gritty play that put sustained pressure on a good Tauranga team. A slight reshuffle in the forwards, an energetic display by Troy and Sunny and good feeding by Timmy and Daniel resulted in 3 goals. A well deserved goal to Sunny and then goals to Aki and Connor which should boost their confidence for the upcoming matches.

Tauranga were very strong and fast on attack, but a good defensive effort ensured no goals to the opposition - well done Marc, Ryan, Sam, Max, Shaq, Troy and Mitchell.

We are carrying a few niggling injuries; captain courageous took a big thump from a stick to his chest; and we even have one with chicken pox....but the squad's versatility has meant that positions have been covered. Hopefully everyone is back on deck tomorrow.

Draw vs North Harbour

Again we dominated possession, did a fine job defensively, moved the ball through the mid-field well - but failed to net any goals. 5 PCs and countless strikes at goal were either missed, muffed or well defended by the NH goalie and defensive line up. Frustrating for all - the team are playing some excellent hockey; and to shut the opposition down so well without winning is heart breaking!
Score 1:1

1-1 draw vs Thames Valley

Fantastic defense and good mid-field play secured the team 90% possession - but we just can't seem to score goals. It certainly isn't for lack of trying but it is proving frustrating for players, coaches and spectators alike. Brilliant all-round game by Daniel and excellent contribution from Shaq with his solid defense and good distribution.

4-1 loss to Wairarapa

The score is not really a true reflection on the game...but at the end of the day you have to put the ball in the goal to win; and we didn't. We muffed numerous shots at goal after having about 70% of the possession. Wairarapa scored from a couple of fast breaks (do you have them in hockey?)against the run of play. But they ran fast, created space and then hit the ball hard - a successful mix.
Wellington looked like they could win all game - they attacked well but couldn't finish their good work.

14-0 win vs Mid Canterbury

The boys are off to a good start - they played as a team with 'goal' contributions from many. Great to see the positive team work, them using the pace of the ball and width of the field to beat defenders.
The weather is surprisingly OK - cold, a freezing wind but no rain!