Hockey: Bream Bay surprise with opening round victory

Springfield's Alana Laybourne tries to pass under duress from Hikurangi player Kesia Coutts. Photo / Tania Whyte

Bream Bay's off-season recruiting paid immediate dividends as they picked up their first win in two years against Springfield.

They toppled heavy hitters Springfield 1-0 in their season opening premier men's hockey match.

Bream Bay coach Vicki Gribble said they'll take the win while they can but was happy that her new recruits had brought some experience to her young side.

"We've gone through the last few years with young players but we've never had that experience there," Gribble said.

"We've had the young ones for three to four years so now our expectation is that we should get pay off now."

In their first win in two years Bream Bay got on the board early in Saturday's match with a nicely worked move in attack, finished off by Matt Jones on the post.

It was an evenly-matched game with both teams having chances on attack but the defences both held strong, creating some frustration for both sides towards the end of the match.

In the final quarter Springfield put Bream Bay under a lot of pressure. Bream Bay's new goalkeeper Perry McDiarmid, who has switched allegiances from Springfield this season, was forced to make some crucial saves.

In the other premier men's match played on Friday night, Mangapai came from behind to beat Whangarei Boys' High School 3-1 while Maungakaramea had the round one bye.

Meanwhile, Springfield started the season with a dominant statement by beating Hikurangi 8-0 in the women's premier competition.

Dominating possession throughout the match, Springfield were allowed plenty of time on the ball and linked well in the midfield to create plenty of chances on attack.

Whangarei Girls' High School also started their season well with a 3-1 win over Maungakaramea while Old Girls had the bye.