Round four of the inaugural Hockey One League has come and gone with the Canberra Chill Men’s and Women’s sides suffering losses at the sticks of HC Melbourne.
Women: HC Melbourne 2 def Canberra Chill 0
Men: HC Melbourne 10 def Canberra Chill 5
In the women’s match Canberra held possession for most of the game and definitely had the lion’s share of attacking play. The first quarter saw The Chill come agonisingly close to the back of the net with each of their two short corner attempts. Mid way through the second quarter youngster Olivia Martin was unlucky not to score unleashing a tomahawk from inside the circle but it going just wide. Tina Taseska followed with another shot on goal with HC Melbourne keeper Nikki Bosman pulling off a dramatic save. The rest of the quarter was all Melbourne. The home side earned themselves a penalty corner with minutes remaining. Chill goal keeper Sakio Asano stopped Melbourne’s initial attempt but some brilliant play reading by up and coming junior Amy Lawton saw HC Melbourne forward Madi Ratcliffe find the back of the net.
The third quarter saw some brilliant attacking play from both sides with the Chill dominating possession. Melbournite Hannah Gravenall pulled off an epic mid-air goal which saw the side take a 2-0 lead.
The close and scrappy game finished Melbourne 2 defeating Canberra Chill 0. This is the first game the Canberra Chill women have walked away with no points, so will fuel the team’s fire to put in a big performance for their final home game on Sunday. The Chill Women must win the remainder of their matches, including their home game this Sunday against the Tassie Tigers at the National Hockey Centre, to have a chance of securing a home semi-final.
The Men’s game was a different affair- a goal scoring bonanza becoming the league’s highest scoring game to date.
The Canberra Chill opened the game with an early goal from Garry Backhus leaving the home side stunned. The classy Melbourne outfit recuperated quickly and went into the first break leading 3-1 after goals to Kiren Arunsalam. Arunsalam kept Canberra Chill goal keeper Andrew Charter very busy, with the Melbournite having the game of his life. Every ball Arunsalam touched seemed to turn into a goal or goal assist.
Canberra were able to maintain possession for long periods but Melbourne were clinical in attack. Lapses of concentration cost the Chill dearly with Melbourne able to capitalise, seeing the score blow out to 10-1 at the end of the third quarter. Team coach Peter Morgan and Assistant Coach Seyi Onitiri delivered an inspiring three quarter time speech with the Chill stepping onto the field in the final quarter with a new mentality.
Team co-captain Daniel Conroy was able to find the back of the net after a counter attack and then found it again, making no mistake with the conversion opportunity. Striker Garry Backhus snagged the Chill’s first hat trick of the season scoring a cracking field goal followed by a clever conversion. The final score HC Melbourne 10 defeat Canberra Chill 5. The Canberra Chill Men’s side must win their game at the National Hockey Centre this Sunday to stay in the hunt for finals contention.
It was certainly not the trip away the club would have hoped for but now turn their attention to must win matches against the Tassie Tigers this Sunday at the National Hockey Centre. Tickets for Sunday’s games are available at the gate or at Ticketek.com.au .
Next match:
Sunday 20 October National Hockey Centre Lyneham
2 pm: Canberra Chill vs Tassie Tigers (Women)
3:30 pm: Canberra Chill vs Tassie Tigers (Men)