HOCKEY - North strikes fear into top team

Northland women rattled the Black Stick-laden Central team in their opening match of the National Hockey League yesterday, but despite taking an early lead, the well-oiled Central machine came back to win 2-1.
Striker Anna Thorpe opened her account in the second minute of the match, picking up a ball on the 25-yard line and dribbling past defenders into the circle before scoring.
The goal clearly rattled the pre-tournament favourites. With internationals such as Emily Naylor, Tara Drysdale, Caryn Paewai and Kayla Sharland, they were expected to comfortably control the match - but it was Australian goalkeeper Rachael Lynch who got an early workout.
"We created truckloads of [scoring] opportunities... but in the end it didn't come off for us and we ended up just giving them a fright," Northland assistant coach Vicki Gribble said.
Gribble thought Central's collective experience probably gave them an edge.
"They went forward with real purpose whereas we were more sporadic," she said.
Angela Croad scored to level the scores midway through the spell, with a Drysdale reverse stick strike just before halftime completing the scoring.
Northland coach Grant McLeod said the team were disappointed they hadn't rescued a draw from the match, but were looking forward to today's clash against Canterbury.
Northland men were never really in their opening match against North Harbour and were well beaten by the defending champions 8-1.
Ben Wyatt, ironically a Harbour loan player, scored a late consolation goal for Northland, but coach Pat Barry said his side once again conceded too many turnovers and were ruthlessly punished for them.
"The speed and the variations they had in their game were well ahead of what we had to offer and I wonder whether the size of the defeat may have something to do with the confidence factor," he said.
The men's championship could well be turning into a two-tier competition, with a big gulf between the top teams and the bottom ones. Earlier, Canterbury beat Southern 9-3.