Lemon chops down the opposition

Kyle Lemon is an expert when it comes to swinging an axe.

Now the New Zealand woodchopping champion is proving he is equally adept with a hockey stick in his hands.

The 32-year-old cuts an imposing figure in the goal and in his second season for Rotorua Indians is proving a challenging obstacle to bypass for opposition teams.

Dressed in bulky black leg pads, padded shorts, a chest protector, special oversized gloves and gleaming black helmet, Lemon grasps his goalie stick with its distinctive curved head.

While the outfit looks cumbersome Lemon still manages to dart about batting away a string of penalty attempts with his gloves and booting away rocket-like balls on the ground.

From his possie at the back of the field Lemon isn't shy to direct the troops.

His voice reverberates round the water turf at Smallbone Park: "Keep control guys and let's get it out of here. Slow it down Indians, play smarter," Lemon bellows.

Lemon, a timber machinist for Lockwood, admits he is the team's "talker".

"I have the best view of the game and I can see what is going on and it's easy to direct play from the back."

The underhand chopping specialist first picked up an axe when he was four but got serious about the sport when he was 16. It was his major sport until he was 25.

Lemon was introduced to hockey after marrying into the "hockey mad" Taylor family.

Six years ago he watched his first hockey game.

At school Lemon considered hockey a girls' sport and only played it when he had to in PE classes. But after he saw a bloke lose his finger after a ball slammed into his stick he changed his mind.

"I thought 'yeah you have to be pretty ballsey to play this game especially with the way the ball moves at pace'."

For the next couple of years he watched his wife, Neroli Taylor, play for United women's and brother-in-law Duane Taylor battle it out for Indians.

"It was such an exciting game to watch and the men were so fast and aggressive. I was the sport's biggest supporter for a couple of years."

Then three years ago he padded up and had to take the field when Indians' goalie Roger Board got injured.

He played four games before he was replaced.

But last season he took up the mantle as the No 1 goalie.

"At goalie you don't get any closer to the action. I love a challenge."

Lemon reckons competing at such a high level with woodchopping has taught him to cope with competitive pressure - which is a bonus when balls rocket round the turf at 100km/h.

"I don't panic or get flustered too much and I don't crumble in pressure situations."

Worst part of the job? "Not stopping a goal."

Lemon will pick up his axe again late in the year and prepare for the Rotorua A and P show.

* In Intercity match ups this weekend Rotorua Indians will take on One 1 Pukekohe on foreign turf. In other men's games Ngapuna will travel away to play Pukekohe Indians and Eagles will have the home advantage against Taupo.

In the women's division competition leaders Aces will be looking to make the most of home support at Rotorua's Smallbone Park when they take on Southern United.

Rotorua Indians hope to register a win from their encounter with Taupo in Rotorua.