Three current Northland hockey players and three former Northlanders have been included among 31 players to trial in late May for membership in a new-look Black Sticks women's team. Strikers Anna Thorpe and Charlotte Harrison and defender Jasmin McQuinn will be invited to trial alongside their former teammates Stacey Michelsen andAlana Millington and Ella Gunson. New coach Mark Hager has sprung a few surprises in selecting a side that doesn't include many from the team that competed at the Olympics. The captain of that team Lizzy Igasan, a former Northlander, has requested time off from the team this year to pursue a television career. The group of 31 was selected from two regional trials in Wellington and Auckland over the past two weeks, and will be trimmed to 24 at the completion of the trials, to become the official 2009 Black Sticks Women's squad. Hockey NZ has also accepted an invitation for the team to play in a four-nation's tournament in India in late April and a team of 18 to attend will be named next week from players within the trial group.
