2018 Ford NHL Sunday recap

Men's Games

Bayleys Midlands vs Canterbury

The first game on the mens schedule for Sunday saw the undefeated Canterbury men coming up against a Bayleys Midlands side who were looking for a bounce back performance after their last outing against Tiger Turf North Harbour. Midlands and Canterbury had a close encounter that ended with a 3-2 win to Canterbury.

Canterbury started the game strong and managed to get themselves a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Joshua Pollard, Trent Summers and Richard Bain. Bayleys Midlands then fought hard to get themselves back into the game thanks to a drag flick goal to Mark Weber and in the last minutes of the games a field goal to Maks Wyndham-Smith. The win puts Canterbury firmly at the top of the table heading into a rest day on Monday.

John Turkington Forestry Central vs Auckland

Two teams met in what was shaping up to be a must win for both teams. John Turkington Forestry Central got a confidence boosting win the day previous against Southern and were looking to improve on that performance. Central took an early lead through a Jason Peel goal. Auckland managed to equalise just before the half time break through a Jacob Smith goal.

Auckland managed to break the deadlock after a penalty corner break down where Arun Panchia jumped on a loose ball and found the back of the net. Jacob Smith then managed to put two more chances away to complete the hat-trick and seal the win for the Auckland boys.

Women's Games

Mark Cromie Holden Northland vs Canterbury

It was an early start for the Mark Cromie Holden Northland vs. Canterbury matchup with the teams taking to the turf at 10:30am. Both these teams were coming off morale boosting wins from the previous day and were looking to take this into todays game. Northland struck early with a goal in the 3rd minute of the game to Tina Taseka.

The score remained the same until the 44th minute when Canterbury struck back through a Margot Willis field goal. Northland then managed to hit the front again thanks to a Gabrielle Smith field goal. Canterbury then managed to equalise on the hooter with a goal to Jordy Grant. Northland managed to get a 4-3 win in the shootout after it went to a sudden death shootout which saw Ella Gunson convert her shootout to seal the win.

John Turkington Forestry Central vs Southern

John Turkington Forestry Central was looking for a bounce back performance after going down the previous day in a tough match against the Bayleys Midlands women. Young Kaitlin Cotter was looking to keep her impressive goal scoring streak going into this game.

This was a tightly fought battle where both teams had a number of opportunities to break the deadlock. Eventually Central scored in the 51st minute with a goal to Sulette Damons. The win moves Central firmly inside the top 3 and leaves the Southern woman still searching for their first win of the week.

Auckland vs Ricoh Capital Cobras

After having tough games the previous day both teams were looking to get their campaigns going with a good win today. Ricoh Capital took an early lead in the game with a Sara Cooper field goal. Auckland then continued to apply pressure and eventually managed to score two quick goals in the 30th and 33rd minute to Ghalesha Singh and Tyler Lench.

Capital then converted a pc goal to Estelle Macadre and thats where the score stayed sending the game into a shoot out. Capital then clinically converted everyone of their shootouts and took the shootout win and the much needed 2 competition points.

Bayleys Midlands vs Tiger Turf North Harbour

Undefeated Bayleys Midlands and Tiger Turf North Harbour met in what was shaping up as a battle between two highly skilled teams looking to continue their great starts to their 2018 Ford NHL campaign.

The game was an arm wrestle through the first half and both teams went into the shed looking to break the deadlock in the second half. North Harbour managed to absorb a lot of pressure and scored 3 goals in quick succession. Holly Pearson got the first two in the 39th and 43rd minute and then Kirsten Pearce sealed the victory with North Harbours third and final goal.

Finals to be live streamed

The Womens K Cup Final and the Mens Challenge Shield Final, along with the respective bronze medal games will be streamed live simultaneously on the Hockey New Zealand Facebook page and in full high definition on YouTube.



- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Hockey NZ