Hockey: Coach gives expat players warning

Initially, national coach Kevin Towns was not exactly overjoyed at what he saw in the opening rounds of the National Hockey League in Wellington last weekend.

But he admitted the conditions had not helped and neither had the draw which pitted the top-four ranked sides against each other.

Of the decision to name his squad for upcoming Oceania matches before the NHL, Towns said he would confirm his selections after the league ends next month.

But he is in no hurry to follow women's national coach Ian Rutledge in insisting that any player wanting to be selected for his Black Sticks squads must play in the NHL.

"I'll never call players back from Europe for the NHL unless I'm instructed to by Hockey New Zealand," Towns said. "But, by not coming back and playing, they risk their places [in the New Zealand team]."

Towns and his co-selectors will be on the road this weekend watching the four men's matches in Whangarei, Hamilton, Levin and Dunedin.

"It is our intention to have someone at every match," said Towns, who will watch the Midlands clash with North Harbour in Hamilton.

"We then plan to name a national squad of 24 players after the NHL. At some time down the track we will add 11 development players but that might not be until after the under-18 camp in January."

The best of today's matches should be the northern clash, where Northland, who upset Wellington 2-0 last Sunday, host Auckland who head the table after big wins.

Wellington, bolstered by the arrival of Australian Brent Livermore, should get their season back on track against Southern in Dunedin.

Teams in NHL women's matches today will be without their internationals.

The Black Sticks leave late tonight for the Indira Ghandi Gold Cup in New Delhi and will miss the next two rounds of league action returning for the last round of matches in Christchurch on October 13 before finals weekend.

The highlight of the Indian tournament should be the clash with Australia and the chance to snap a 20-game streak since they last beat their transtasman rivals.

North Harbour striker Jaimee Provan, 27, will join the "100 club" when she first steps on to the turf - almost certainly against Italy on October 1. Canterbury midfielder Stacey Carr, 21, needs four appearances to reach 50.