Some of the hockey action witnessed on Davis Park on Saturday was as hot as the unseasonably warm weather, with a couple of very tight encounters contrasting with several one-sided results.
- Open -
In their encounter with the Kaniva Cobras, the Warrack Hoops earned an early lead when Sandon Schultz registered a field goal just two minutes after the starting whistle, and although controlling more of the play, they could not add to this score by the first break.
The second quarter saw some more even play as the Cobras matched the Hoops’ attacking pressure, but the scores remained unchanged by halftime.
With second place on the ladder on the line, the intensity increased when play resumed, and in a hectic two-minute period midway through this quarter, field goals by Charlie White and Lachie Mills saw the Cobras take the lead by three-quarter time.
A crisp hit by Tim Jorgensen from a penalty corner found the back of the net, which tied up the scores again three minutes into the last period of play, and another field goal from the stick of Schultz regained the lead for the Hoops minutes later, which they held until full time.
This win moves the Hoops to outright second on the ladder while the Cobras remain in fourth place.
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Oskar Bennett attempts to block a lofted ball
The Yanac Tigers controlled most of their game against the determined Nhill Rangers, scoring single goals in the first three quarters and another two in the last to finish with a five-goal victory.
Ethan Anderson scored a hat trick of goals, with Josh Cramer and Shaun Alexander scoring singles, and Joseph Knoll was named the Rangers’ best player, continuing his excellent run of form this season.
The Tigers remain at the top of the ladder and the Rangers are still outside the top four and will need a win soon to stay in touch with the leaders.
With the two points gained from the bye this week, the Horsham Hurricanes are in third place.
- Women -
With just two points separating the top four teams in the Women’s competition, the result of every game can have significant implications for a team’s ladder position. While it is still early in the season and many changes are anticipated over the coming weeks, early points take the pressure off to retain a place in the top four as the season progresses.
After their win over Yanac in the previous round, all eyes were on the Jets to see if they would continue that form when they took on the impressive Dimboola Roos.
Dimboola scored the first goal just minutes into the game, but from then on, it was a very even match. Both sides created chances only to be thwarted by some solid defence. The only other score came in the last minute of the match when the Roos increased the margin to two goals on the scoresheet, but the game was closer than that on the field.
Vicki Elliott and Leah Graham were the goal scorers for the Roos, and Hannah Werner was the best player for the Jets.
Highlighting how even this competition currently is, this loss saw the Jets drop from first to fourth place, while the Roos remained in third place.
After losing to the Jets in their last game, Yanac Women came out strongly against the Nhill Thunderbirds and controlled much of the play, earning seventeen penalty corners for the match. Shanaye Alexander and Caitlyn Alexander scored goals before halftime, and in the second half, Lexi Famers added two, Caitlyn Alexander scored another, and Erin Alexander found the goals once to complete the six-goal margin.
Kendra Clark, Naomi Kuhnell, and Helen Cannell were judged as Nhill’s best players.
The points from this result put Yanac back on top of the ladder, two points clear of the field, but the unpredictable nature of some recent results suggests that they will have to work hard to stay there. The Thunderbirds are outside the top four, but they are just one win and a small goal difference adrift of the leaders and remain well in the mix.
Kaniva scored a comfortable victory over the inexperienced Warracknabeal side, with nine players sharing the scoring, led by Jules Braisby with three goals.
Ellie Williamson, fresh from playing at the Junior Country Championship in Melbourne last weekend, was the leading player for Warracknabeal alongside Eileen Eichberger and Noah Eilola.
This win kept Kaniva in the group of three teams tied on ten points, two behind the current competition leaders, while Warracknabeal remains in sixth place but will need to make their move soon if they are to keep the prospect of playing finals for a second season in a row for over five years alive in 2024.
- Under 16 -
The match of the round in the Under 16 competition saw the Yanac Warriors defeat the Nhill Leopards in a close game. After Yanc opened the scoring in the dying seconds of the first quarter, the teams went goal for goal, which saw the scores reach two all halfway through the third quarter.
The Warriors then edged ahead with a third goal before the last break, a lead which they extended by another goal in the shadows of full-time.
The Kaniva Raider enjoyed a more significant margin in their win over the Warrack Revengers, with Charlie White scoring six of his team’s eight goals, and Noah Eilola was responsible for the Revengers’ only score.
The Horsham Bombers broke through for their first win for the season at the expense of the Dimboola Kangaroos. The game was still in the balance at three-quarter time, but two late goals by the Bombers extended their winning margin to three goals.
This win was not quite enough to elevate the Bombers into the top four, and with a large gap between the top three and lower three, the developing interest in the competition will revolve around which out of the Revengers, Bombers, and Kangaroos will stake a serious claim to join the leaders as the season goes on.
Next Saturday, round five will be played at Kaniva. After that, all opponents will have been played once, setting a good benchmark for where each team sits within their division.
Wimmera Hockey Association - Round Four Results
- Open -
Yanac Tigers 5 (Goals - E Anderson 3, S Alexander, J Cramer; Best - E Anderson, S Alexander, Z Dorrington) defeated Nhill Rangers 0 (Best - J Knoll, J Reichelt, B Tischler)
Warrack Hoops 3 (Goals - S Schultz 2, T Jorgensen; Best - S Schultz, O Bennett, R Bennett) defeated Kaniva Cobras 2 (Goals - L Mills, C White; Best - L Mills, T Krelle, C Beattie)
Bye - Horsham Hurricanes
| | Pts | GD
| | Yanac Tigers | 14 | 11
| | Warrack Hoops | 10 | 3
| | Horsham Hurricanes | 8 | 0
| | Kaniva Cobras | 6 | -3
| | Nhill Rangers | 2 | -11
|
- Women -
Yanac Women 6 (Goals - A Farmers 2, C Alexander 2, E Alexander, S Alexander; Best - E Alexander, M Mackley, C Alexander) defeated Nhill Thunderbirds 0 (Best - K Clark, N Kuhnell, H Cannell)
Kaniva Women 14 (Goals - J Braisby 3, N Hutchins 2, Z Smith 2, I Williams 2, S Williams, H Pearse, J Wallis, R Curtis; Best - N Hutchins, H Pearse, I Williams) defeated Warrack Women 1 (Goal - C Bennett; Best - E Williamson, E Eichberger, N Eilola)
Dimboola Roos 2 (Goals - V Elliott, L Graham; Best - J Hauselberger, L Graham, C Hadzig) defeated Horsham Jets 0 (Best - H Werner, H Knoop, S O’Connor)
| | Pts | GD
| | Yanac Women | 12 | 13
| | Kaniva Women | 10 | 13
| | Dimboola Roos | 10 | 8
| | Horsham Jets | 10 | 4
| | Nhill Thunderbirds | 6 | -4
| | Warrack Women | 0 | -34
|
- Under 16 -
Yanac Warriors 5 (Goals - Archie Zanker 2, S Pedie 2, H Zanker; Best - Archie Zanker, Asher Zanker, S Pedie) defeated Nhill Leopards 3 (Goals - T Shue Bee, D Clark, D Bee; Best - D Clark, O Bone, J Rowe)
Kaniva Raiders 8 (Goals - C White 6, R Doyle, F Dodson; Best - C White, J Beattie, R Williams) defeated Warrack Revengers 1 (Goal - N Eilola; Best - M Bentley, E Williamson, B Clark)
Horsham Bombers 4 (Goals - J Schwarz 2, H Mackereth, H Knoop; Best - J Schwarz, H Knoop, H Mackereth) defeated Dimboola Kangaroos 1 (Goal - J Ward; Best - J Ward, L Hauselberger, C Elliott)
| | Pts | GD | %
| | Kaniva Raiders | 14 | 21 | 625%
| | Yanac Warriors | 14 | 16 | 329%
| | Nhill Leopards | 12 | 10 | 300%
| | Warrack Revengers | 4 | -15 | 29%
| | Horsham Bombers | 4 | -15 | 21%
| | Dimboola Kangaroos | 0 | -17 | 6%
|
- Under 12 Development Program -
Nhill Bandits 4 (Goals - N Krelle 2, D Bee 2) v. Yanac Lowan Stars 3 (Goals - M Dart 2, H Zanker)
Warrack Avengers 5 (Goals - R Johnstone 4, C Peters) v. Kaniva Rampagers 1 (Goal - A Bedford)
Horsham Black Hawks 7 (Goals - J Mackereth 3, E Batchelor 2, H Carman 2) v. Dimboola Kookaburras 2 (Goals - R Wallace, L Hauselberger)
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