Future Kiwi stars gain valuable experience from tough tourney

Hockey New Zealand must continue to push this programme because getting people exposure is what it is all about, without it we will really struggle in the future.Grant McLeod, hockey coachNew Zealand's future stars of hockey completed their junior women's world cup hockey campaign with a disappointing 0-2 loss to India  but coach Grant McLeod said there was a silver lining to their 10th placing.
McLeod said exposure to the tough competition at the Boston event would stand the under-19 players in good stead for their future international careers. "We started very well and we were the only team to beat the champions, which was something a little bit special to take away from the competition." 
The Northland CEO said that an early victory over the Dutch, who beat Argentina in the final on Sunday, was a big thrill but the team's form over the latter part of the tournament had not lived up to early expectations. "Overall, the 10th placing was a little bit disappointing, after a good start we probably would have expected to finish a little bit higher but there was some pretty tough competition.
"Players like Stacey Michelsen, who is a stand-out in New Zealand, struggled here, it's hard to explain how much higher the standard has been here, how much stronger the players are."
He said New Zealand Hockey must continue to ensure the juniors' participation despite funding cuts.
 "Hockey New Zealand must continue to push this programme because getting people exposure is what it is all about, without it we will really struggle in the future." 
Northland was well represented with Carli and Stacey Michelsen, Ella Gunson, Nicki Howes and Jacinda McLeod all valued members of the squad.
New Zealand beat the Dutch 3-1 in the  opener and beat Spain in their second match but suffered a 0-3 loss to China, which turned out to be a big speed bump in their tournament. They then drew with Germany, lost to Argentina 2-5 before beating South Africa 3-2.
They were favoured to beat India  but couldn't finish several chances in the first spell and conceded a goal 10 minutes before half-time.
"We had heaps of chances but couldn't convert."