The NSW Pride and Brisbane Blaze have maintained their unblemished starts to the inaugural Sultana Bran Hockey One season following solid wins in Round 3.
But it was some exceptional individual performances, from Pride forward Blake Govers and Blaze’s Joel Rintala, that created the big talking points. The duo both scored four goals, Govers scoring every one in his team’s 4-2 victory over the Tassie Tigers, while Rintala was in red hot form as the Blaze accounted for Adelaide Fire 5-1.
Despite Govers’ four goal haul, NSW Pride did not have it all their own way, needing to come from 2-1 down after Sam McCambridge and Eddie Ockenden had given the Tassie Tigers an early lead in a high quality affair. But having struck the opening goal in the 5th minute, Govers scored three more times in the space of eight minutes to seal the result and take his tally to seven for the season.
The Pride sit top of the table above the Blaze on goal difference after the Brisbane outfit proved too strong for an Adelaide Fire team playing its first home match of the season and searching for its first win. Despite Isaac Farmilo’s second quarter goal for the hosts, the Blaze were in complete control as Rintala dined out on the spoils.
Over in Perth, Canberra Chill recorded their first points of the campaign courtesy of a thrilling penalty shootout win over the Perth Thundersticks. Tim Geers and Brayden King had given the home side a 2-0 lead, but Goulburn local Jack Staines responded with a quick fire double to make it all square at half time.
The Thundersticks looked to have snatched a late winner when Kookaburras forward Tom Wickham struck with three minute remaining, however Ben Staines (the brother of Jack), scored a dramatic equaliser 60 seconds later to make it 3-3 and send the match to penalties. Kookaburras goalkeeper Andrew Charter then proved the hero for the Chill as he saved three of four penalty attempts.
Hockey Club Melbourne had the bye ahead of the upcoming double round of matches to be split across this Friday and Sunday. For ticketing details click here, while every match of the Sultana Bran Hockey One League will be broadcast LIVE and exclusive on Kayo.
Sultana Bran Hockey One 2019 Season – Round 3 Results
NSW Pride 4 (Govers 5’/25’/29’/33’)
Tassie Tigers 2 (McCambridge 9’, Ockenden 13’)
Saturday 12 October 2019
Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre (NSW)
NSW Pride Men’s team: 1.Lachlan Sharp, 2.Tom Craig, 5.Ash Thomas (GK), 6.Matthew Dawson, 8.Nathanael Stewart, 11.Hayden Dillon, 12.Kurt Lovett, 13.Blake Govers, 18.Tristan White (c), 19.Jack Hayes, 20.Ky Willott, 22.Flynn Ogilvie, 23.Ryan Proctor, 29.Timothy Brand
Tassie Tigers Men’s team: 2.Nicolas Leslie, 4.Hayden Beltz, 6.Joshua Brooks, 7.Joshua Mardell, 10.Linden McCarthy, Eddie Ockenden (c), 13.Joshua Beltz, 15.Kieron Arthur, 18.Grant Woodcock (GK), 19.Tim Deavin, 20.James Bourke, 21.Benjamin Read, 26.Oliver Smith, 29.Sam McCambridge
Perth Thundersticks 3 (1) (Geers 14’, King 22’, Wickham 57’)
Canberra Chill 3 (3) (J.Staines 27’/27’, B.Staines 58’)
Canberra Chill win 3-1 on penalties
Saturday 12 October 2019
Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University (WA)
Perth Thundersticks Men’s team: 1.Brayden King, 3.Tim Geers, 4.Jake Harvie, 5.Frazer Gerrard, 7.Tyler Lovell (GK), 8.Coby Green, 10.Tom Wickham, 14.Liam Flynn, 15.Will Byas, 17.Aran Zalewski, 19.Daniel Robertson, 23.Matthew Fisher, 25.Trent Mitton (c), 27.Marshall Roberts
Canberra Chill Men’s team: 2.Ben Staines, 4.James Day, 7.Kazuma Murata, 8.Daniel Conroy (c), 9.Jamie Hawke, 10.Owen Chivers, 11.Garry Backhus, 12.Jake Staines, 13.Manabu Yamashita, 17.Aaron Kershaw, 22.Jay MacDonald, 26.James Jewell, 27.Kentaro Fukuda, 30.Andrew Charter (GK)
Adelaide Fire 1 (Farmilo 29’)
Brisbane Blaze 5 (Weyer 5’, Rintala 10’/30+’/45’/58’)
Sunday 13 October 2019
State Hockey Centre (SA)
Adelaide Fire Men’s team: 7.Scott Germein, 9.Fred Gray, 11.Cameron Joyce, 13.Luke Larwood, 15.Andy Leat, 17.Ryan O’Shea, 18.Al Oliver, 19.Glyn Tamlin (c), 20.Isaac Farmilo, 21.Simon Wells, 22.Chris Wells, 23.Cameron White, 26.Liam Alexander, 29.Eddie Chittleborough (GK)
Brisbane Blaze Men’s team: 2.Shane Kenny, 3.Corey Weyer, 4.Hugh Pembroke, 5.Scott Boyde, 7.Joel Rintala, 9.Jacob Anderson, 10.Robert Bell, 12.Jake Whetton, 13.Ethan White, 16.Tim Howard, 20.Matt Swann (c), 23.Daniel Beale, 27.Jared Taylor, 32.Mitchell Nicholson (GK)