Dalefield star in winter wonderland

Dalefield have become the pin-up boys of the Wellington premier division men's hockey competition.
Their stunning 6-5 win over competition leaders Hutt at the National Hockey Stadium in Wellington on Saturday was their first-ever over that star-studded combination and it provided the major highlight of a season which has already seen them beat another of the top-ranked sides, Indians, on two occasions, the most recent coming last Monday.
''Unbelievable ... absolutely unbelievable,'' said Dalefield coach Lance Hare. ''No one would ever expect us to beat a team like Hutt, it just doesn't happen, not even in your dreams.''
Hare said Dalefield had gone into Saturday's match with the same approach as they had against Indians just a few days earlier.
''We talked a lot about having nothing to lose and everything to gain, about going out there and imposing our game plan on them rather than the other way around,'' he said.
''You can't afford to take a backward step against teams like them, you have to be totally positive and we were.''
To say Dalefield got away to a good start would be the understatement of the year. Within 14 minutes of play they had taken a 4-0 lead.
Hare, however, was acutely aware that teams of Hutt's calibre were always capable of mounting quick comebacks. With Dalefield leading 4-1 at halftime he stressed to his players they had to buy into one of two tactical approaches, either go defensive and look to hold on to their lead or continue to play the attacking hockey which had brought them such success in the first half.
''Everybody wanted to keep attacking even if it meant taking the risk of letting them back into the game and I was rapt with that,'' Hare said. ''They wanted to win by playing attractively, not by going into their shell and relying on tight defence to keep them out.''
As expected Hutt did improve their effort substantially in the second half as they desperately tried to avoid the ignominy of defeat at the hands of a Dalefield side who can do no better than fifth in the premier division series but Dalefield still had one goal up their sleeves when the final whistle sounded.
''We were stoked, it was incredible to think we had beaten the top team,'' Hare said. ''It was a proud moment for a coach, I can tell you.''
Goalkeeper Orin Lockyer was superb for Dalefield, making several fine saves against one of the most potent club attacks in the country, and Trent Lett was equally outstanding at fullback, a role he filled due to the late withdrawal of the experienced Greg Mason through sickness.
For coach Hare though most pleasing was the fact victory revolved around teamwork. ''They were all stars, the whole damn lot of them,'' he said.
Goal-scorers for Dalefield were Ben Van Woerkom (2), Jesse Workman (2), Nathan Shannahan and Rowan Yeo.