The full article from the grand final this weekend...thanks to the Wagin Argus for printing it in its entirety... All Blacks and Mighty Ducks victorious The 2013 season of the Upper Great Southern Hockey Association will be remembered as the year with more teams participating than ever before, and also the year that the standard of hockey played in the region went through the roof. On Saturday Mother Nature was kind and allowed the four grand final games to be played in great hockey conditions. The day started with a hotly contested match between Brookton and Wickepin in the Women’s B grade. The teams couldn’t be split all year so it was always going to be a close game. Both teams had chances early, but when Wickepin was awarded a penalty corner early in the first half they had the best chance to apply score board pressure. After a stellar season, it was Renae Bransby who received the pass and had a reverse stick shot which cannoned into the goal. Brookton were not going to take a loss lying down, and they continued to push hard to draw level. Claire Rushton provided plenty of run through the midfield, but they were unable to break through Wickepin’s defence held together by Holly Eales. Wickepin finished the game with a 1-0 win, with the Most Valuable Player award presented to Bransby. In the Men’s B grade, Warriors and Riffs had plenty of tense games throughout the season so there was no doubting that the grand final was going to be a cracker. The game started at a high tempo and it was Riffs who celebrated the first goal through youngster Corey Lutz. When Michael Lange made it 2-0 to Riffs, it was starting to look like they had stolen the momentum of the game. Warriors were able to fight back and make it 2-1 in the second half, but they had left their run too late with Riffs taking out the premiership with a 2-1 win. Ben Quartermaine was awarded the Most Valuable Player award for the game. After a fantastic season that saw them finish with only one loss in the entire season, Mighty Ducks went into the Women’s A grade grand final against Robins as firm favourites. Their intentions were clear from the onset, with the ball played in Robin’s defensive circle for the first ten or so minutes of the game. Robins defence was able to hold them out, but eventually the relentless pressure of Mighty Ducks was rewarded when Ashleigh Michael scored. When Mighty Ducks scored again through Tahryn Gray, they took a 2-0 lead into the half time break. They didn’t skip a beat in the beginning of the second half and scored again to take a 3-0 lead, and the game was starting to look out of reach for the Robins side. However Robins showed some fighting spirit when they scored through Jonnelle Zabajnik, and when Zeta O’Rourke tapped in their second goal it was definitely game on. With the next goal pivotal to the result of the game, it was Mighty Ducks who was able to score off a penalty corner and finish the game with a 4-2 win. Mighty Ducks Shannan Bradley was awarded the Most Valuable Player for the game. Riffs started the Men’s A grade grand final against All Blacks as the team to beat after a stellar 2013 season. When they were able to score early through Roger Ballard, they were looking the part as they had done all year. With their first grand final appearance in some years, All Blacks looked determined to take it right up to the favourites and they were able to level the game when Shane Perkins scored. When they scored again shortly after, the crowd was on their feet and the game had reached fever pitch. The All Blacks team worked hard throughout the game to negate the run and carry of the Riffs players, but the speed and skills of the Riff’s team couldn’t be held down forever and they dug deep to score again and ensure the game went to the wire. With the next goal pivotal, it was the under dogs who were able to find the back of the net when Andrew Bairstow snuck one past the Riff’s goalie. With the lead late in the game, a couple of undisciplined acts from All Blacks saw them play with only 9 players in the dying minutes of the game. Riff’s were unable to capitalize on the situation however, and All Blacks ran away with a 3-2 win and claim the 2013 premiership. Sam Broad added to his trophy collection when he was awarded the Most Valuable Player in the grand final.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 00:20:55 +0000
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