Title tops record Dalefield season

HISTORY MAKERS: The Dalefield squad are all smiles after their Wellington premier division title win. PHOTOS/CHRIS KILFORD

It was the icing on the cake of an unforgettable journey.

Dalefield's first-ever Wellington premier division men's hockey title win at the National Hockey Stadium in Wellington on Saturday might have come down to a penalty shootout against a brave Indians outfit but nobody could quibble at their success.

Their victory meant Dalefield finished their 2015 season with the astonishing record of 14 wins, two draws and just the one defeat. At the end of the preliminary rounds they were a staggering 13 points clear of their nearest rivals.

Even superlatives like astonishing and staggering hardly do credit to their efforts when you consider that in the previous season they had to survive the anxieties of a promotion-relegation fixture to retain their place in the premier division.

The formula for their amazing resurgence has, of course, been well documented. A good number of former Dalefield players who had left the local area and joined up with Wellington-based clubs decided it was time to return to the Dalefield fold, not only for the betterment of them but for Wairarapa hockey in general.

The initial plan was to have Dalefield contending strongly for what would be their first Wellington title in three years. They managed it in one.

Saturday's grand final was always expected to be a thriller and it didn't disappoint. Dalefield went 1-0 up through Rowan Yeo, trailed 2-1 at halftime and scored the only goal of the second half of ordinary time through Ben van Woerkom.

Two periods of extra time, the first with each team having nine players on the field and the second with seven, were then played and there was still no addition to the score so it went to a penalty shootout. It was anxious times for both sides with the two keepers, Fletcher Phillips of Dalefield and John Forsyth of Indians, very much in the hot seat, and it was Dalefield who responded best, netting all five of their attempts. The fifth by Ben Van Woerkom sealed the title, after Phillips saved the previous Indians shot.

Coach Willie Schaefer labelled the Dalefield win as "fantastic" but admitted it was "pretty nerve-racking" watching from the sidelines.

The full Dalefield record for the 2015 season is:

Preliminary rounds: drew Harbour City 5-5, beat Hutt 8-5, beat Victoria University 12-3, beat Northern United 4-1, beat Indians 6-2, beat Harbour City 4-1, beat Hutt 4-3, beat Northern United 3-2, beat Victoria University 2-0, drew with Indians 4-4, beat Hutt 6-2, beat Harbour City 5-2, beat Northern United 5-1, beat Victoria University 7-1, lost to Indians 3-4.

Semi-final: beat Harbour City 3-2.

Final: beat Indians 5-4 in penalty shootout (2-2 after ordinary and extra time).