Hockey: Harbour teams face challenge from penalty corner specialists

Two of the best goalscorers in the game stand between the North Harbour teams and places in tomorrow's NHL finals at Porritt Park.

Hayden Shaw's drag-flicking ability at penalty corners is world-renowned and has taken him well clear at the top of the goalscoring list in his return to the big time. It has played a major part in Canterbury getting to this afternoon's semifinal.

He did not play last season, when Canterbury were humiliated by North Harbour in the final. But he did grab a couple as Canterbury took a 3-1 halftime lead over Harbour last Sunday before the southerners went down 5-3.

As they showed against Auckland in their last round-robin game here on Thursday, North Harbour can be stingy in giving up penalty corners. Auckland won one - in the opening 40s of the game - and no more.

A repeat against the home side today would nullify that one major advantage Canterbury hold over the other seven teams.

While Auckland coach Keith Rowley dismissed his team's 4-0 loss to North Harbour as not being particularly relevant in terms of the business end of the NHL, North Harbour will take some satisfaction in ending their unbeaten run through pool play and the manner in which they bounced back from the controversial 2-1 loss to Wellington a week ago.

North Harbour ended pool play with the best attacking and defensive records, conceding just eight goals in seven games while scoring 29.

Auckland have what appears a slightly tougher semifinal in meeting the in-form Wellington.

Niniwa Roberts-Lang poses much the same threat to the Harbour women as Shaw does to the men in their semifinal this morning.

The international striker, who missed the India tour through injury, showed no signs of that when spearheading the Wellington attack in their 4-3 win over Canterbury on Thursday.

* North Harbour were given a flying start to finals weekend when Black Sticks Blair Hopping and, for the second successive year, Lizzy Igasan were yesterday named Hockey New Zealand's players of the year.

North Harbour's Lyn Farrell was named female umpire of the year. Jason McCracken (Auckland) took the male award.