HOCKEY -Northland too good for university opponents

The Northland women's hockey team have brushed aside a touring British Columbia University team, beating them 6-0 in the first of three matches in Whangarei on Tuesday.
Keen on a good contest, Northland coach Paul Snelling said the opposition was not quite at the standard he hoped for, but he appreciated the challenge of Northland facing an unknown line-up ahead of the National Hockey League competition starting in Hamilton on September 22.
"They (British Columbia) were a bit like a club side really, but it was good for us," he said.
"Now our challenge is to maintain our high standards. It's a good chance to make sure we do things properly."
Snelling said he didn't care too much about the result of the three encounters, as the matches were taking the form of a final selection process before he names a squad of 18, from the current 20, later this week for the NHL.
He said Northland hockey was in the best shape it has been for a while, as there was some real competition for team selection as more players had proven themselves worthy.
"We've pretty much got the final squad sorted out, but there's still a couple of girls fighting for the last places. Everyone's got a shot," he said.
Snelling was confident the team would do well in the NHL, but pointed out the closeness of the competition in recent times.
Northland are to play one more warm-up match against Midlands in the next couple of weeks, before all NHL teams are in Hamilton for the first weekend of competition beginning September 22.
Northland's first game is against Canterbury, and the team play Southern the following weekend.
Northland played British Columbia again last night and play the final in the three-match series today.