Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University will thunder to life again this Sunday 29 October when the Perth Thundersticks go head-to-head with Hockey Club Melbourne.
The Thundersticks women have secured two wins from two games this Hockey One season, and even with a bye round early in the tournament, they currently sit at second on the ladder – just below this week’s opponents Hockey Club Melbourne.
The Thundersticks women have established a pattern this season, taking comfortable 4-1 wins over both the Canberra Chill and the Tassie Tigers.
Their season-opener in Perth against the Chill was as sizzling as the 36-degree day, and the heat continued last weekend when they tackled the Tigers in their home state.
The Hockey Club Melbourne women have had a similarly commanding start to the 2023 season, winning all three of their matches. In rounds one and two, they defeated the Tassie Tigers 1-0, and Adelaide Fire 2-1. Then, in round three, the found themselves in a tightly contested game against NSW Pride. The teams drew 1-1 and went into shootouts, which HC Melbourne narrowly won 4-3.
These teams met on two occasions during the 2022 season, the first time of which, the Thundersticks emerged with a 2-0 win over Melbourne at their home field. The game’s score was tied at 0-0 until the final quarter. Then, a penalty corner from Georgia Wilson and a field goal from Line Malan in the final eight minutes of the match pushed the Thundersticks to victory.
The second time was the third-place playoff match, and that time, the Thundersticks couldn’t wait to get a score on the board. Penny Squibb and Georgina Dowd scored two goals in the first two minutes from a stroke and a field conversion respectively. Their third goal came from a penalty corner from Karri Somerville late in the second quarter, which secured the Thundersticks win over Hockey Club Melbourne, as well as the bronze medal for the 2022 season.
This weekend’s games between the two front-runners of the women’s competition promises to be equally as entertaining and is sure to set Perth Hockey Stadium alight once again. The women will take to centre stage first, with the day’s play kicking off at 1:30pm.
The Thundersticks men, currently in fifth position after their first two rounds and a bye, are raring to reignite the rumble against Hockey Club Melbourne this Sunday.
The men, like the women, took the season-opener against the Chill 4-1. Though, they didn’t see the same success the women did in Tasmania, going down 2-1 to the Tigers last Friday night.
Hockey Club Melbourne’s men sit in sixth on the ladder, despite playing one more game than the Thundersticks. Melbourne began their season strong, defeating the Tassie Tigers 4-1 in round one. Then, a 3-2 loss to Adelaide Fire and a 11-2 domination from NSW Pride saw them sink down the ladder.
Melbourne finished the 2022 Hockey One in the same sixth position, while the Thundersticks secured the silver medal in a 2-0 grand final loss against NSW Pride.
Round two of last season heralded an 8-5 win for the Thundersticks over Hockey Club Melbourne in Melbourne. The first quarter was goalless, then after the second quarter, the Thundersticks were unstoppable in front of the net. Cam Geddes and Liam Flynn scored two penalty corners each and Tom Wickham scored an incredible four goals from two field goals and two conversions.
Hockey Club’s Melbourne’s Nathan Ephraums scored four of the team’s five goals in the match, also from two field goals and subsequent conversions and will definitely be one to watch this weekend when the Thundersticks face-off against Melbourne once again.
More exciting Thundersticks news this week is the Perth Thundersticks memberships hitting an all-time high. Become part of Perth’s biggest and best hockey community and join the rumble with two-game memberships now on offer. Tickets still available via INTIX.