Stingrays Stun Highlanders in Women’s Hockey UpsetStingrays Stun Highlanders in Women’s Hockey Upset In a thrilling match on Saturday, the University Stingrays nearly pulled off a historic upset against the top-seeded City Highlanders in Dunedin’s women’s hockey competition. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving the Stingrays as the moral victors in the eyes of the hockey community. The Stingrays, traditionally the underdog in matches between the two college teams, played with incredible defensive discipline, frustrating the Highlanders throughout the first quarter. City’s frustration grew as they failed to capitalize on several penalty corners. The Stingrays’ fortunes changed just before halftime when Anna Brock earned a penalty corner for her team. Madeleine Kinnell converted the opportunity, giving the Stingrays a 1-0 lead heading into the break. In the second half, the Stingrays continued to defend valiantly, but with less than three minutes remaining, Chloe Donaldson finally equalized for the Highlanders. In the subsequent shootout, City claimed the extra competition point, but it was the Stingrays who earned the respect of the spectators. Taieri Tigers Keep Playoff Hopes Alive In the premier men’s competition, the Taieri Tigers secured a crucial 1-0 victory over the University Huskies, keeping their playoff hopes alive. The match was a must-win for the Tigers, and they showed incredible courage and determination in their performance. Hat-Trick for Nicolson in Taieri Win James Nicolson put on a dazzling display in Taieri’s 4-1 win over Albany, scoring a hat-trick. The victory all but secures Taieri’s points trophy for this year’s competition. Whales Struggled in Victory The University Whales took a narrow 2-1 victory over the University Panthers in a rather subdued affair. The Whales appeared rusty and were only able to seal the match in the final quarter with a late goal from Krishaan Parsotam. Kings Dominate in Gore Kings United continued their dominance in the competition with a resounding 10-0 victory over the Southland Barbarians in Gore.
The University Stingrays nearly pulled off the biggest upset in Dunedin’s top women’s competition in decades on Saturday, eventually ending in a 1-1 draw with the City Highlanders.
The Stingrays, traditionally the weaker of the two college teams, simply wanted more of it.
They were defensively disciplined and City could not break them in the first quarter. A couple of miserable penalty corners in the quarter-time summed up City’s start.
City’s pattern of attacking to no avail continued into the second quarter and the reigning champions began to show signs of frustration.
Five minutes before half-time, that turned into panic, when Anna Brock earned a penalty corner for her team with a clever dribble. The ball didn’t go straight in, but the pressure did increase when Madeleine Kinnell finally shot the ball over the line.
With something to hold on to, a shield raid was firmly in the cards for the Stingrays. It was a case of playing with their backs against the wall, but they made it to three-quarter time and somehow still held on to a 1-0 lead.
The Stingrays showed courage and as the minutes passed it looked like they would take the win, but that turned out not to be the case.
With less than three minutes left on the clock, the reigning champions showed their numbers in the circle and eventually it was Chloe Donaldson who got the ball over the line.
City took the extra competition point in the shootout, but in the eyes of the hockey community it was the Stingrays who emerged as the real winners.
Momona also suffered setbacks elsewhere, losing 3-2 to Kings United.
The well-performing Kings team scored twice early, keeping Momona busy.
This result means Kings are now two league points behind Momona in the battle for second place.
The Taieri Tigers were again among the winners as they secured a crucial 1-0 victory over the University Huskies.
In a match they absolutely could not afford to lose, they showed courage and kept their season alive.
In the premier men’s competition, James Nicolson showed everyone how good he was with a hat-trick in Taieri’s 4-1 win over Albany, which all but secured his team’s points trophy for this year.
Despite missing key players Jordan Ward and Zeke Buschl, the Tuataras had too much class for an Albany team that still has a lot of ground to make up if they want to reach the final.
The game that followed was a rather quiet affair, with the University Whales taking a less than convincing victory over the University Panthers.
The Whales were rusty and only took a 2-1 lead deep into the final quarter, but eventually sealed the match with a late goal from Krishaan Parsotam.
Kings United defeated Southland Barbarians 10-0 in Gore.
—Nicolaas Friedlander
