News for 14 April 2017
All the news for Friday 14 April 2017
Germany Seal Series Victory Over Green Army
Germany claimed the second match of the series with a 3-1 victory despite an early Irish goal.
The first quarter saw end to end action with the sides exchanging goals within 2 minutes of each other. The Green Army got the scoreboard ticking first thanks to Emma Russell as she flicked in the rebound from Emily Beatty’s initial shot. But Laura Keibel levelled the game moments later as the Germans broke into the Irish quarter, skipping past tackles and enjoying advantage to make it 1-1. In the opening minutes of the second quarter Viktoria Huse gave her side the lead as she was quickest to the rebound from Grace O’Flanagan’s initial save. O’Flanagan was in flying form and was tested repeatedly by the German forward line but Zoe Wilson, Hannah Matthews and Ellen Curran were all alert to any further rebounds and on hand to clear the danger.
Germany got their third goal early in the second half as Anne Schroder found herself unmarked and buried the ball in the bottom corner. But the Green Army continued to create chances of their own and Katie Mullan was continually putting the German backline under pressure with a high press accompanied by Beatty and Rebecca Barry. Zoe Wilson instigated attacks as she lofted aerials into the darkening sky for Russell and Nicci Daly to latch on to, the latter of whom routinely pirouetted around several German defenders on route to the circle. But another goal wouldn’t come for the Irish despite Gillian Pinder and Deirdre Duke creating chances, and the Olympic Bronze medallists ran out 3-1 victors.
Speaking at the end of the 2 match series, Head Coach Graham Shaw said “The first game had a lot of good phases and some very positive performances. We were unlucky not to convert the goal scoring opportunities we created.
Today we stared very well going 1-0 up and then faded in the second half. Our decision making was poor at times and this prevented us from getting a grip on the game”.
The Green Army’s next opponents come in the form of USA in Pennsylvania over 3 matches on May 24th, 26th and 27th.
Germany 3 (Keibel, Huse, Schroder)
Ireland 1 (Russell)
Starting Line Up: G O’Flanagan (GK), Mullan (Captain), McCay, Pinder, Upton, Colvin, Daly, Matthews, Wilson, Duke, Barry
Subs: Buckley (GK), Evans, Tice, Beatty, Russell, Curran, Meeke
Fixtures:
Germany 3 vs 0 Ireland. 12/4/17 18:00 in Dusseldorfer Hockey Club (Local time)
Germany 3 vs 1 Ireland. 13/4/17 15:30 in Dusseldorfer Hockey Club (Local time)
Irish Hockey Association media release
Malaysia brace for a rocky World Hockey League Semi-Finals campaign
by S. Ramaguru
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia could not have asked for a tougher start to their World Hockey League Semi-Finals campaign in London from June 15-25.
Coach Stephen van Huizen’s men will face world No. 1 and reigning Olympic champions Argentina in their opening Group A match.
And it doesn’t get any easier after that as the other teams in the group are host England, South Korea and China.
Group B comprises Holland, India, Pakistan, Canada and Scotland.
The second World Hockey League Semi-Finals will be held at the Wits Hockey Club in Johannesburg, South Africa, from July 8-23 and it will feature World Cup champions Australia, Olympic silver medallists Belgium, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Ireland, Japan, France, Egypt and host South Africa.
Five teams each from London and Johannesburg will qualify to play in the 2018 World Cup in India.
Stephen admitted that there’s no such thing as an easy group at the World Hockey League Semi-Finals.
“The format is simple – the top four teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals,” he said.
From there, the four semi-finalists will be assured of places in the 2018 World Cup in India. The other four quarter-final losers will then meet in a crossover playoffs to decide the fifth team to make the trip to India.
The national team are preparing for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which will be held in Ipoh from April 29-May 6.
The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is part of their preparations for the World Hockey League Semi-Finals.
The national team are also down to play two Test matches against New Zealand – on April 23 and 24.
Stephen said that they have not finalised their programme after the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
“Basically, we are looking at some matches either here (against the visiting teams) or go early to London and play at the venue.
“Nothing has been confirmed yet,” said Stephen.
The Star of Malaysia
Belgium Tops U-19 USWNT in First Game on Tour
BELGIUM - The U.S. U-19 Women's National started their first match a little slow and Belgium was able to maintain possession for a large part of the first quarter. USA goalkeeper Katie Jean (Mount Joy, Pa.) denied Belgium's scoring opportunity with some quality saves. Team USA started to find their legs toward the end of the quarter but the first quarter score would stand at a 0-0 stalemate.
As the second quarter progressed, the U-19 USWNT started to connect and gain a few opportunities but couldn’t convert. In the 25th minute, Belgium got on the score board after taking advantage of a turnover by Team USA. This marked the halftime score USA 0, Belgium 1.
Belgium didn’t waste any time and caught the U-19 USWNT on their heels and extended their lead to 2-0 in the 34th minute of play. Belgium continued to threaten forward and notched their second goal of the quarter and a third came after as the ball squeaked by USA goalkeeper Mary Crumlish (Amherst, N.Y.) to make the score 3-0.
A few tactical points were made by the coaching staff between quarters and the determined U-19 USWNT pressed forward. Team USA got on board for the first time in the 51st minute by a diving effort from Mayv Clune (Quakertown, Pa.) to ensure the goal. Just one minute later, USA cut the goal margin when Lexi Davidson (North Andover, Mass.) sent a 50-yard aerial that was misplayed by a Belgium and ended up on Clune's stick. She hammered the ball into the goal for her second tally of the night. Belgium regrouped and countered and added another goal in the 55th minute to make the final score, USA 2, Belgium 4.
The U-19 USWNT will have two training session tomorrow in preparation for their match against Germany on Saturday.
USFHA media release
U-17 USWNT Opens Tour with Win Over Ireland's U-16 Team
DUBLIN, Ireland - On a cool sunny day at the St. Andrew's School in Dublin, Ireland, the U.S. U-17 Women's National Team started their tour off strong by recording a 2-0 win over Ireland's U-16 Team.
Team USA came out putting high pressure on Ireland generating some great attacking builds and circle penetrations in the first 5 minutes of play. Showing diversity and depth the U-17 USWNT athletes rotated through each position, as well as kept a high platform of speed and discipline on the field.
After a defensive stop and quick outlet, Team USA was able to capitalize on a break away when Charlotte DeVries (Wayne, Pa.) found herself in the circle in a 1v1 situation against Ireland's goalkeeper. Her skills and composure allowed her to eliminate the goalkeeper and shoot on the open goal in the 18th minute.
The second half was a lot of the same, as the U-17 USWNT continued to pressure Ireland's defense with speed and variety. The persistence paid off in the 48th minute as Margot Lawn (Pasadena, Md.) finished a rebound on the right post after a flurry of shots were initially saved by Ireland's goalkeeper.
USA captain Sky Caron (Hampton, N.H.) was solid in the backfield organizing the defense and coming up with solid tackles when needed. The highlight would be a defensive save by Caron on a corner with 20 minutes remaining in the match.
U-17 USWNT goalkeepers split action in goal with Jonna Kennedy (Watertown, Mass.) logging minutes in the first half and Isabelle Perese (Worthington, Ohio) remaining strong in the second. Both were able to make strong saves on Ireland's attack penalty corner unit to keep their opponents off the score board to record the shut out.
Overall, the U-17 USWNT's had a solid performance and will build on the result. Team USA is back in action tomorrow at 3 p.m. local time against Ireland for their second match of the three game series.
USFHA media release
EHL KO16 lands in Eindhoven
Eindhoven is all set for a spectacular weekend of hockey as the Euro Hockey League’s KO16 arrives in Dutch club HC Oranje-Rood prepares for 12 knock-out matches over four days between the best club sides in Europe.
Over 11,000 hockey fans have already confirmed their tickets to the party which runs from Friday, April 14 to Monday, April 17 for what will be the tenth edition of the world’s premier club hockey competition.
The event will be broadcast live throughout the weekend on www.ehlhockey.tv while NOS (Netherlands), Eleven (Belgium), Sport 1 (Germany), Esports 3 (Spain), Supersport (South Africa) and BeIn (Australia) will all provide live coverage. Near-live video clips will be pushed out via the EHL’s Facebook and Twitter platforms.
As such, it promises to be another spectacular edition of the competition with plenty of thrills and spills as clubs from eight different countries battle for a ticket to the FINAL4 in Antwerp, Belgium on June 3 and 4.
On Friday, Ireland’s Banbridge take on Racing Club de France with both sides looking to reach the KO8 for the very first time. They provide the opening curtain at 12.45 (CET).
Real Club de Polo de Barcelona face Poland’s WKS Grunwald Poznan in game two at 15.00. The Spanish side bring Olympic gold medalists Lucas Vila, Matias Rey and Pedro Ibarra from Argentina to the party as they look to get one over one of only two clubs to play in every edition of the EHL.
At 17.15, KHC Dragons and Royal Racing Club de Bruxelles meet in an all-Belgian affair, a repeat of their national final last spring. Dragons won their most recent league meeting two weeks ago to build a six-point advantage in the Audi Hockey League but Racing are using this as extra motivation to turn the tables. The two clubs feature a wealth of Olympic silver medalists.
Friday’s schedule concludes at 19.30 with reigning champions SV Kampong facing a re-match with Rot-Weiss Köln. Kampong beat Rot-Weiss in the KO8 last season en route to glory but the German side are top of their national league and in great form. It is a match packed with world hockey stars including FIH goalkeeper of the year David Harte, Robbert Kemperman, Christopher Rühr and Timur Oruz.
Saturday’s line-up is similarly action-packed. Atlètic Terrassa bid for a second successive run to the FINAL4, beginning with the challenge of Irish champions Lisnagarvey at 10.30.
England’s Wimbledon are back for a second EHL season and do so with their national Premier Division title already confirmed with GB stars Henry Weir, Simon Mantell, Phil Roper and Ian Sloan in the line-up. They meet UHC Hamburg – the most decorated side in the EHL – at 12.45 with Moritz Fürste their superstar in a young line-up.
At 15.00 on Saturday, the home hosts HC Oranje-Rood will aim to delight the home crowd for a spectacular all-Dutch battle against AH&BC Amsterdam. It is a repeat of last season’s Hoofdklasse grand final and promises to be a passionate affair in front of a packed house.
The KO16 closes with Germany’s Mannheimer HC meeting Spain’s Club Egara at 17.15 with EHL legend Pau Quemada back at the club where he began his hockey after 12 years away. Mannheimer play in their second EHL campaign after a six-year gap and feature Gonzalo Peillat, the Olympic gold medalist who is probably the world’s most lethal penalty corner artist.
Each KO16 game brings with it a place in Sunday and Monday’s KO8 where clubs will play for a ticket to Antwerp in June for the FINAL4.
The ABN AMRO Junior EHL also takes the field on Sunday and Monday with the Under-14 teams from SV Kampong (Netherlands), Mannheimer (Germany), Wimbledon (England), Saint Germain (France), Real Club de Polo (Spain) and KHC Dragons (Belgium) competing for their title with the final taking place on the main EHL pitch.
In addition to the hockey, many special training clinics will take place for young children with the likes of Rob Reckers and Loick Luypaert lending their expertise.
With food, drinks and other special events around the EHL KO16, it is set to be a truly memorable event in the history of the world’s best club competition.
EHL KO16
When: April 14-17 2017
Where: HC Oranje-Rood, Charles Roelslaan 13, 5644 HX Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Event website: http://ehlhockey.tv/
Match schedule: http://ehlhockey.tv/season/20162017/
Tickets: http://ehlhockey.tv/tickets
Social media
Twitter: @ehlhockeytv
Facebook: Euro Hockey League
Instagram: ehlhockeytv
Hashtags: #EHL #KO16
EHL 2016-2017 KO16 and KO8 match schedule 14-17 April 2017 at HC Oranje-Rood, Eindhoven (NED)
Friday 14 April (all times CET)
M1 12.45h Banbridge HC vs Racing Club de France
M2 15.00h WKS Grunwald Poznan vs Real Club de Polo
M3 17.15h KHC Dragons vs Royal Racing Club de Bruxelles
M4 19.30h SV Kampong vs KHTC Rot-Weiss Koln
Saturday 15 April
M5 10.30h Atletic Terrassa vs Lisnagarvey HC
M6 12.45h Wimbledon vs UHC Hamburg
M7 15.00h HC Oranje-Rood vs AHBC Amsterdam
M8 17.15h Mannheimer HC vs Club Egara
Sunday 16 April
M9 12.15h winner M3 vs winner M1
M10 14.30h winner M2 vs winner M4
Monday 17 April
M11 13.15h winner M6 vs winner M8
M12 15.30h winner M7 vs winner M5
Euro Hockey League media release
EHL Broadcast Schedule – where to watch all the action
The EHL KO16 will be broadcast live by a variety of different outlets around the world, showcasing the world’s best club hockey competition. Here’s where you can watch every game live!
EHL website – all games will be streamed live via our website, www.ehlhockey.tv. Please note there is a potential geo-block in Belgium but you can stream live on Eleven Sports (see below)
NOS (Netherlands)
Friday, April 14 – live coverage of SV Kampong v KHTC Rot-Weiss Koln (19.30 CET)
Saturday, April 15 – live coverage of HC Oranje-Rood v AH&BC Amsterdam (15.00 CET)
Sunday, April 16 – live coverage if SV Kampong advance from 14.30 (CET)
Monday, April 17 – live coverage from 15.30 (CET)
Eleven Sports (Belgium) – all matches live on http://elevensportsnetwork.be/
Sports 1 (Germany) –
Friday, April 14 – live coverage of SV Kampong v KHTC Rot-Weiss Koln (19.30 CET)
Saturday, April 15 – live coverage of Wimbledon v UHC Hamburg (12.45 CET) & live coverage of Mannheimer HC v Club Egara (17.15 CET)
Monday, April 17 – live coverage from 13.15 (CET)
Supersport (South Africa) – all matches broadcast live
Perform – all matches broadcast live
Esport 3 (Spain)
Friday, April 14 – live coverage of WKS Grunwald Poznan v Real Club de Polo (15.00 CET)
Saturday, April 15 – live coverage of Atletic Terrassa v Lisnagarvey (10.30 CET) & live coverage of Mannheimer HC v Club Egara (17.15 CET)
Sunday, April 16/Monday, April 17 – dependent on Spanish club advancing
BeIn Sports (Australia) – all matches broadcast live
Euro Hockey League media release
Rot-Weiss with revenge on the mind for Kampong tie
ROT-Weiss Köln’s André Henning has revenge on the mind as they look to overturn the 5-1 KO8 defeat to SV Kampong from last season as they look to take down the reigning champions (Friday, 19.30 CET).
"Of course, we want to show ourselves and everyone else that we can do it differently to last season," says coach Henning. "Regardless of the result, it is our first chance to deliver a top performance which we need.
"A year on, we have learned a lot from that game and now it is important to show the good development the team has made on the international stage."
He anticipates playing in cauldron atmosphere under floodlights, adding that it is set for a memorable occasion.
"We want to play in competitions like this, against the best teams" says Henning. "Kampong has a very experienced team with a strong team spirit from the world's best keeper, David Harte, right up to the frontline where they have several players that can make the difference.”
Rot-Weiss travel to Eindhoven without the services of Timur Oruz, Max Werner and Henning Hüttermann while muscular problems for Mathias Müller and Alexander Schöllkopf mean they are doubts, too.
Christopher Rühr was sick last week and faces a late check but veteran Christopher Zeller, who was out last weekend, returns to the squad.
Euro Hockey League media release
Van Aubel and “crazy” d-Side fans to whip up storm against Racing
The Belgian battle between KHC Dragons and Royal Racing Club de Bruxelles is one of the highlights of day one of the EHL KO16 at they meet on Friday (17.15 CET) in Eindhoven.
It is a repeat of the 2014 bronze medal match and last year’s Belgian national final with Dragons winning out each time.
For Dragons, they will look to bounce back after a rare low key performance in the EHL in 2016 in Amsterdam, losing to Atlètic Terrassa in a shoot-out, something Florent van Aubel said “should not have happened” to the Hockey Belgium website but he adds that is parked in the past now.
His side recently beat Racing in the league, too, but he sayd that will have little bearing on the EHL tie.
“We are looking forward to the European Cup and we know perfectly well that EHL is not the Belgian championship. So we do not have to think about our victory against Racing ten days ago. Here, it will be a new match and anything can happen in Eindhoven."
The side saw the likes of Matthew Cobbaert, Manu Stockbroekx, Shane O’Donoghue and Louis Rombouts move on but they still seem as strong as ever, leading the way in the Belgian league.
"The new players, accompanied by the experienced players and staff, everyone has worked hard to make the team very competitive. We have seen very good progress over the last few months.”
Looking at the battle with Racing, he adds: " This meeting will be very tight. Racing has been one of the best Belgian teams for several seasons. They possess enormous individual ability. If they perform at their best, they will push the rest of the group. Both teams know each other perfectly, as we play very often in the playoffs."
"Maybe our collective is, perhaps, a little stronger. But if their individuals play at 100%, Racing can be a daunting prospect."
Asked if there is extra pressure given that Dragons are already confirmed as FINAL4 hosts, van Aubel adds: "Yes, of course, but in sport, you do not have time to think about that. You can not think of the consequences.
“We will approach this match against Racing with the firm intention of winning it and without thinking too much about the exterior aspects. Otherwise, it's the best way to get caught out.
“Our [d-Side] fans will be with us to help us achieve our goal. Tehey hav already shown their importance at major events. In the EHL or during the playoffs, they land en masse. They ‘trained’ on tonight in Brasschaat to be perfect for Friday. When you think about it, it's completely crazy."
Euro Hockey League media release
Al Saadi’s UHC ready for Wimbeldon duel
UHC Hamburg coach Kais al Saadi is looking forward to a competitive duel against English champions Wimbledon as the EHL’s most decorated club bids for another strong run (Saturday, 12.45 CET).
Looking at his opponent, al Saadi is wary of Wimbledon, saying they are: “obviously by far the best team in England.
"There are several English national players in the squad and the team is equally good." Traditionally, English teams are highly athletic so this will definitely be a nice duel, a highlight that we are looking forward to.”
UHC currently sit in sixth place in the German league as they look to incorporate a number of new young players and al Saadi says this will be a big test for them.
“Getting to play a team from a top European nation, what more do you want? Just because we are not at the top of the league at the moment, it is so nice to play big games like this.
"We played a very good game last Sunday against Mannheimer HC, even if we could not win it. But the EHL is a very different competition and the Bundesliga has no bearing on European competition.
“On the contrary, we want to reach the next round and, in the best case, we will also get a boost for the league from the EHL.”
He has a full squad to pick from for the event.
Euro Hockey League media release
McCann and Mannheimer eyeing maiden knock-out win
Mannheimer HC are eyeing their first ever EHL knock-out win in their club history as they take on the current Spanish champions Club Egara on Saturday (April 15, 17.15 CET).
Coach Mike McCann has been preparing his team for eight months for the tie and is optimistic about the tie while also showing a lot of respect for the opponent, especially having seen the Spanish side’s talent in a challenge match in preseason.
He expects a game that is determined by two different game styles. The offensive of the Spaniards and the defensive of Mannheim.
"It was a lucky coincidence that we had already booked our training camp to Barcelona because, after the draw, this confirmed our decision," McCann said about the preparations for their test match in which they drew 3-3.
"We had the chance to play against Egara four weeks ago and it gave us very big insights. We have great respect for them, especially Ramon Sala, their sports director and assistant coach, who does a very good job there and I personally value his work."
For the KO16, he has a few absentees; Frederik Hillmann will probably still be injured and Patrick Hablawetz is abroad for professional reasons.
But the game plan for the game on Saturday is clear, to control the lively attack of the Spaniards.
"Egara is a famous club in Germany. Each of their players comes from their own youth academy and they regularly populate the Spanish national team with players from their club.
"You have to pay attention to Eduard Arbos, Pau Quemada, Quico Cortes and Franc Dinares. Quemada has an impressive penalty corner but, with Gonzalo Peillat, we have a penalty corner specialist at least of the same level."
And McCann is looking forward to hearing Mannheimer’s "Blauer Block", their fan group.
"During the indoor finals in February, the fans carried us to the final. It was indescribable for the players to get such a support abroad. This allowed us to put a few percent on top of our performance”
Euro Hockey League media release
Banbridge and Lisnagarvey aiming to be first Irish club to reach KO8
Irish clubs Banbridge and Lisnagarvey are looking to create history as they travel to Eindhoven over the Easter weekend, bidding to become the first Irish side to reach the last eight of the Euro Hockey League.
Bann face Racing Club de France on Friday at 12.45 (CET) while Garvey are in action a day later against Spanish giants Atlètic Terrassa in the KO16 with a win earning them a place in the KO8 later in the weekend.
For the former club, it continues a busy schedule as they rose back to the top of the EY Hockey League last Sunday following seven points out of nine from three league games in five days.
There has been some wear and tear in their panel with Hugh McShane, Jamie Wright, Peter Brown and Matthew Allister all suffering knocks and twinges but most look set to return to the fray. Goalkeeper Gareth Lennox, however, is out as he remains in Ireland as his son is due in hospital with Luke Roleston coming in between the posts.
Speaking about the situation, coach Mark Tumilty said: “The injury situation has improved thankfully and we hope the players will be available for the Racing game. We had them assessed on Tuesday night and the news was more positive than expected.”
Bann meet the French champions having successfully negotiated ROUND1 last October on home turf, beating another French side, Saint Germain, before drawing with Belgium’s Royal Leopold to top their group. They found out their draw in November, something which “seems a long time ago now” for Tumilty.
“We had a fantastic experience at Banbridge and are now focused on Eindhoven and the Racing game. We have had an excellent season to date and now have an opportunity to add to that by trying to reach KO8. Our guys are now fully focused on EHL.”
For Lisnagarvey, they meet an Atlètic side who are aiming to reach the FINAL4 for the second successive season. Garvey also have to make a couple of changes to their squad with Irish international Michael Robson not eligible as he joined the club from Annadale after the European registration deadline.
Timmy Cockram is also unavailable. Irish internationals Paul Gleghorne and Sean Murray have knocks but are likely to play a part on Saturday at 10.30am.
Speaking about their chances, Jonathan Bell said of his side’s chances: “It’s clear we haven't yet hit the heights that we did last season but we have undergone a bit of transition with a number of players stepping down at the end of last season.
“The side is beginning to gel and it's important to peak at the right time. We have plenty of quality and confidence is high off the back of a big win last weekend.
“Most of our guys are used to performing on the big stage and I'm confident we can rise to the occasion and put in a strong performance against Terrassa.”
Like Tumilty, Bell says that it has been a long time since Garvey found out their EHL fate but now the focus is firmly fixed on Eindhoven.
“We have tried to put the EHL to the back of our minds to focus on the Irish Hockey League,” he said. “But the prospect of playing in the EHL always provides added motivation during the season. It creates healthy competition within the squad and the wider club members at Lisnagarvey always relish a trip to Europe.
“Terrassa are a side that has been performing at the top end of European club hockey for some time. We have a reasonable idea how they like to play and where their strengths lie. But we will focus on our preparation and aim to impose our personal and team strengths on the game.”
Euro Hockey League media release
Banbridge And Lisnagarvey Ready For EHL
Banbridge and Lisnagarvey are looking to create history as they travel to Eindhoven over the Easter weekend, bidding to become the first Irish side to reach the last eight of the Euro Hockey League.
Bann face Racing Club de France on Friday at 11.45am (Irish time) while Garvey are in action a day later against Spanish giants Atlètic Terrassa in the KO16 with a win earning them a place in the KO8 later in the weekend.
For the former club, it continues a busy schedule as they rose back to the top of the EY Hockey League last Sunday following seven points out of nine from three league games in five days.
There has been some wear and tear in their panel with Hugh McShane, Jamie Wright, Peter Brown and Matthew Allister all suffering knocks but most look set to return to the fray. Goalkeeper Gareth Lennox, however, is out as he remains in Ireland as his son is due in hospital with Luke Roleston coming in between the posts.
Speaking about the situation, coach Mark Tumilty said: “The injury situation has improved thankfully and we hope the players will be available for the Racing game. We had them assessed on Tuesday night and the news was more positive than expected.”
Bann meet the French champions having successfully negotiated ROUND1 last October on home turf, beating another French side, Saint Germain, before drawing with Belgium’s Royal Leopold to top their group. They found out their draw in November, something which “seems a long time ago now” for Tumilty.
“We had a fantastic experience at Banbridge and are now focused on Eindhoven and the Racing game. We have had an excellent season to date and now have an opportunity to add to that by trying to reach KO8. Our guys are now fully focused on EHL.”
For Lisnagarvey, they meet an Atlètic side who are aiming to reach the FINAL4 for the second successive season. Garvey also have to make a couple of changes to their squad with Michael Robson not eligible as he joined the club from Annadale after the European deadline.
Timmy Cockram is also unavailable. Irish internationals Paul Gleghorne and Sean Murray have knocks but are likely to play a part on Saturday at 9.30am (Irish time).
Speaking about their chances, Jonathan Bell said of his side’s chances: “It’s clear we haven't yet hit the heights that we did last season but we have undergone a bit of transition with a number of players stepping down at the end of last season.
“The side is beginning to gel and its important to peak at the right time. We have plenty of quality and confidence is high off the back of a big win last weekend.
“Most of our guys are used to performing on the big stage and I'm confident we can rise to the occasion and put in a strong performance against Terrassa.”
Like Tumilty, Bell says that it has been a long time since Garvey found out their EHL fate but now the focus is firmly fixed on Eindhovem
“We have tried to put the EHL to the back of our minds to focus on the Irish Hockey League,” he said. “But the prospect of playing in the EHL always provides added motivation during the season. It creates healthy competition within the squad and the wider club members at Lisnagarvey always relish a trip to Europe.
“Terrassa are a side that have been performing at the top end of European club hockey for some time. We have a reasonable idea how they like to play and where their strengths lie. But we will focus on our preparation and aim to impose our personal and team strengths on the game.”
** All matches will be streamed live via the EHL website - http://www.ehlhockey.tv/
EHL KO16
When: April 14-17 2017
Where: HC Oranje-Rood, Charles Roelslaan 13, 5644 HX Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Event website: http://ehlhockey.tv/
Match schedule: http://ehlhockey.tv/season/20162017/
Tickets: http://ehlhockey.tv/tickets
Social media
Twitter: @ehlhockeytv
Facebook: Euro Hockey League
Instagram: ehlhockeytv
Hashtags: #EHL #KO16
Irish Hockey Association media release
Dragons and Kampong sharpen their skills for ABN AMRO Junior EHL
KHC Dragons and SV Kampong’s Under-14 sides received some expert training from the Self-Pass crew to get them in the best possible shape for the ABN AMRO Junior EHL (#ABNAMROJEHL.
The two clubs enjoyed innovative clinics with the Self-Pass “skillers” with whom they practiced a series of stylish tricks and tips that they plan to unleash on Eindhoven on April 16 and 17. (Click here for full video!).
This year, the ABN AMRO Junior EHL has expanded to six teams with representatives from Dragons from Belgium and Kampong from the Netherlands - the defending champions - joined by teams from Wimbledon (England), Saint Germain (France), Mannheimer (Germany) and Real Club de Polo (Spain).
SV Kampong became the first team to qualify in September when they won the Dutch tournament ahead of Oranje-Rood and AH&BC Amsterdam.
In Spain, Real Club de Polo emerged victorious from their qualifiers ahead of Atlètic Terrassa and Club Egara in a hotly contested series. From France, Saint Germain won a shoot-out against Racing Club de France in their qualifier match which ended 0-0 in normal time.
In Germany, Mannheimer was nominated to take part in the competition as the side with the best results in the German youth championships. In Belgium, the representative is chosen based on the men’s senior ranking from the previous season and so KHC Dragons took up the ticket for Eindhoven.
The six-team ABN AMRO Junior EHL competition takes place in tandem with the EHL KO16/KO8 weekend and is divided into two groups of three before Monday sees the sides play in classification matches.
The third/fourth playoff and the ABN AMRO Junior EHL final will take place on the main pitch with the overall winner will be presented with their trophy during half-time of the final KO8 match on Monday afternoon.
** Results will be posted throughout the tournament via https://twitter.com/ABNAMROSport and using the hashtag #ABNAMROJEHL
Pool A: SV Kampong (NED), Real Club de Polo (ESP), Wimbledon (ENG)
Pool B: Mannheimer (GER), KHC Dragons (BEL), Saint Germain (FRA)
Schedule
Sunday 16 April
M1 10.30h Pool B Mannheimer HC - KHC Dragons (pitch 2)
M2 11.30h Pool A SV Kampong - Real Club de Polo (pitch 2)
M3 12.30h Pool B Mannheimer HC - St. Germain (pitch 2)
M4 13.30h Pool A Real Club de Polo - Wimbledon (pitch 2)
M5 15.30h Pool B KHC Dragons - St. Germain (pitch 2)
M6 16.30h Pool A SV Kampong - Wimbledon (pitch 2)
M7 18.30h Semi Final 1 1 st Pool A-2 nd Pool B (pitch 1)
M8 19.30h Semi Final 2 1 st Pool B-2 nd Pool A (pitch 1)
Monday 17 April
5/6 JEHL 09.00h pitch 2 (longer match (2 x 35min) as they only played 2 matches Sunday)
3/4 JEHL 10.00h pitch 1
Final JEHL 11.15h pitch 1 (2 x 25 min)
Euro Hockey League media release
Sixteen teams to honour Easter Hockey Tournament
by Marion Malinga
The 2017 edition of the Easter Hockey Tournament that gets underway on Good Friday at the Ugandan National Hockey Stadium, Lugogo has attracted sixteen teams including the nine league clubs and seven secondary schools.
St Mary’s College Kisubi, Kankungulu Memorial, Namilyango College, Buddo College, Gayaza High School, and Rhino SSS are the seven schools expected to take part in this year’s edition.
This year’s edition will be competed under four categories including Men, Women and the newly introduced categories – Boys and Girls.
Kampala Hockey Club Stallions come as defending champions in the Men’s category while United States International University from Kenya are the defending champions in the Ladies category.
The top performing team at the event stands a chance of representing Uganda at next year’s Africa Cup of Club Championships as they will play the Independence Cup winner in a deciding match.
Kawowo
England Juniors in action over Easter weekend
England U16 Girls anthems, July 2016
England Hockey National Age Group Squads will be playing a series of matches against the USA, Austria and the Netherlands over the Easter weekend.
England Hockey are delighted that these development opportunities exists for our age group players, with a number of U16, U18 players sampling junior international match play for the first time.
The U21 Men travel to Austria’s capital Vienna to play at the Hockeystadion, while the U21 Women host the USA at Bisham Abbey. Completing the age group activity sees the U18 & U16 squads continue their annual exchange with the Netherlands, the boys games will take place at Lilleshall National Sports Centre while the girls travel to Hockey Club Houten near Utrecht.
U21 Women games at Bisham Abbey will be played as follows:
Thursday 13 April – 16:00hrs
Friday 14 April – 16:00hrs
Sunday 16 April – 15:00hrs
Monday 17 April – 10:30hrs
U21 Men games in Vienna will be played as follows:
Saturday 15 April – 16:00hrs
Sunday 16 April – 16:00hrs
Monday 17 April – 10:00hrs
Games at Lilleshall will be played as follows:
Saturday 15 April
U18 Boys – 14:30hrs
U16 Boys – 16:30hrs
Sunday 16 April
U18 Boys – 14:00hrs
U16 Boys – 16:00hrs
Monday 17 April
U18 Boys – 10:00hrs
U16 Boys – 11:30hrs
Games in Houten will be played as follows:
Saturday 15 April
U18 Girls – 14:00hrs
U16 Girls – 16:00hrs
Sunday 16 April
U18 Girls– 14:00hrs
U16 Girls – 16:00hrs
Monday 17 April
U18 Girls – 10:00hrs
U16 Girls – 11:30hrs
The six squads selected for this series of matches can be found here.
Final scores will be posted through the England Hockey twitter account on the day of the games.
England Hockey Board Media release
JHL: UniKL and Olak geared up for epic battle
By Jugjet Singh
UNIKL Young Guns and Olak-NurInsafi have been clocking extra hours for their crucial Division One Malaysian Junior Hockey League (JHL) match Friday at the Pandamaran Stadium in Klang.
Both teams have been training none stop for the last five days, and UniKL even took the trouble to train at the Pandamaran pitch Thursday to get familiar with the artificial surface.
"We needed the training session at Pandamaran to have a feel of the surface. It is an important weekend for us as we face two strong teams (BJSS Thunderbolts on Sunday) and honestly getting four points from these two matches will be the result we are looking for," said UniKL coach Arul Selvaraj.
"Our main problem to date is making use of the chances that we create and this is something we have been working hard at."
UniKL Young Guns have played three matches so far, losing once to PJCC Tigers (2-1) while registering two wins over BJSS Juniors (2-0) and SMK Bentara Luar ( 2-1).
As for Olak team manager Joseph de Silva is ready to welcome UniKL with a marching band display.
"We have had five days of solid training where we also used ice-baths to settle nerves as we are looking to beat UniKL at all cost," said de Silva.
Meanwhile the combination of there JHL Thunderbolts teams (BJSS, SSTMI and Temerloh) were beaten 5-1 by India in the final of the Asian Schools tournament in Bhopal. The Malaysian goal was scored by Akhimullah Anuar Esook.
In the semi-finals, Malaysia beat Singapore 12-1.
And over in Europe, coach K. Dharmaraj's women beat German club side Crefeld 7-0. The women, who earlier beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-0. They will play 11 more matches, to prepare for the Brussels World League Semifinals on June 21-July 2, and return at the end of the month.
FRIDAY -- Division One: PJCC Tigers v BJSS Juniors (PJCC Stadium, 6pm), Olak-NurInsafi v UniKL Young Guns (Pandamaran, 5pm).
Division Two: Group A -- MISCF-UFL penang v USM Juniors (Sungai Petani, 5pm), Penang HA-USM v Stingers (USM, 5pm), Young Lions v MSS Kedah (Syed Putra, 5pm).
Group B: Terengganu Juniors v Andersons (Batu Buruk, 5pm), MSSWPKL v Felda Juniors (KPM, 5pm); Group C: Young Hurricanes v SSTMI Juniors (Bukit Serindit, 5pm), TBSS Tampin v MBMB Warriors (Zaaba, 5pm), Johor HA v Bentara Luar (Taman Daya, 5pm).
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Winning’s the only thing that matters for UniKL this weekend
KUALA LUMPUR: This weekend’s matches could very well be season-defining for Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) in Division One of the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL).
They face traditional rivals Olak-Nurinsafi today and BJSS Thunderbolt on Sunday knowing that they must collect full points from both matches or they will lose out on a top-four position.
“These two matches could well define how we finish the season. Our aim is a top-four finish,” said UniKL coach A. Arulselvaraj.
“Olak and BJSS are also top-four contenders. So, beating them will go a long way towards achieving our aim. But it won’t be easy.
“It is an important weekend for us as we face two strong teams ... honestly, getting four points from these two matches will be a good result.
“Scoring is our main problem ... this is something we have been working hard at.”
For now, UniKL are only focused on Olak-Nurinsafi and their game will be the first competitive match to be played at the Pandamaran Hockey Stadium in Klang since it was refurbished early this year.
UniKL have trained at the Pandamaran venue to familiarise themselves with the pitch condition.
UniKL have six points after three matches – losing 2-1 to PJCC and beating BJSS Juniors 2-0 and SMK Bentara Luar 2-1.
The Star of Malaysia
Champs, debutants book semi-final places in hockey
By Elizabeth Mburugu 
Sinyolo Girls Grace Juma beat Moi Girls Sharon Okema in Girls hockey. PHOTO: COURTESY
Champions Sinyolo, St Cecilia Misikhu and debutantes St Joseph’s Girls Kitale book their girls semi-final places in hockey in Kenyan Secondary Schools National Term One Games.
Sinyolo whipped Kerugoya 3-0 in their second Group A match to cruise to the semis.
Owiti siblings Alice and Maureen starred for Sinyolo leading the two-time national champions to victory.
Alice bagged a brace while Maureen netted once. Sinyolo coach Alloise Owino said he was he was hoping for improved performance and a successful title defence.
Newcomers Kitale proved that they are no pushovers as they thrashed St Joseph’s Kibwezi 5-0 to win the St Joseph’s battle. Agnita Akumu hit the board twice whereas Faith Chebichi, Lynny Tamuna and Vivian Waithera scored one goal each for Kitale.
2009 title holders Misikhu beat Parklands Arya to 2-1 to snatch the remaining Group B slot. Moi Nairobi beat Bura 1-0 to revive their hopes of reaching semis. Bura and Moi Nairobi all have an equal chance to complete the girls last four.
In the boys battle Upper Hill held giants At Anthony’s Kitale 2-0. Eugine Onyango and David Mwaura scored for Upper Hill whereas Nicholas Makhatsa netted twice for At Anthony’s.
The Standard Online
Pakistan Junior Hockey Team off to Australia
Pakistan's national junior hockey team left for Australia from Lahore in the early hours of Friday.
It will be participating in the highly competitive Australian National Junior Championships.
The 2017 Women's and Men's Australian Junior Championships will take place in Hobart, Tasmania, from 19-29 April.
In what would be a first of its' kind, after the junior championship, the boys would stay in Australia for around four months. They will appear in Australia’s hockey league for various club teams.
Team's head coach Kamran Ashraf said, "Australia are the reigning World Champions. The boys would learn a lot playing in Australia's domestic circuit. They will also be attending training sessions conducted by famed Australian coaches. "
Bahawalpur's Junaid Manzoor is the captain of Pakistan's junior team and Lahore's Moin Shakeel is his deputy.
PHF Media release
FIH announces creation of single Masters hockey governing body
The International Hockey Federation (FIH), International Masters Hockey Association (IMHA) and World Grand Masters Association (WGMA) have agreed to establish a new single body to govern and manage Masters and Grand Masters hockey worldwide.
This new vision for Masters hockey will build upon the successes of the IMHA and WGMA and ensure that the principles and dedication which delivered that success are key components of its future strategies and structure.
Over the coming months an interim transition management team will consult with members of all organisations to identify the appropriate priorities and next steps for the new organisation. Then, in August 2017, both IMHA and WGMA members will vote on the future governance structure and draft constitution of the single entity at their Annual General Meetings.
With such activity already progressing, the management team has set out a timeline which will see the establishment of the new single entity in late 2017 with a view to this being fully constituted and operational in late 2018.
The structure of the new single entity will be shaped to deliver the agreed strategic objectives for Masters hockey and to complement the FIHs strategy, the Hockey Revolution, which aims to make hockey a global game that inspires the next generation.
The main aims of the single entity are to streamline resources, avoid duplication, increase efficiencies and rationalise communication channels to maximise the growth of Masters hockey and further improve the experiences of Masters athletes at all levels of the game.
Speaking about this step forward, FIH CEO Jason McCracken said: “The FIH is delighted with the outcomes of the tri-party discussions which have led to this historic announcement. The single entity will ensure that Masters hockey has a secure and dynamic future based on full integration across gender and all age groups at national, continental and world levels.”
He continued: “The new single Masters hockey entity will harmonise its activities in-line with the main objectives of the FIH Hockey Revolution strategy. We look forward to working with IMHA and WGMA to complete this work over the next 18 months to support the continued growth of Masters hockey.”
Glenn Paton, President, International Masters Hockey Association, said: “The IMHA has been working steadily towards this day and looks forward to continuing the progress which has been made in developing Masters hockey across the continents, in a much closer partnership with our colleagues at the FIH and WGMA.”
Wim van Noortwijk, President, World Grand Masters Association, added: “The rapid growth of Grand Masters hockey over the last 20 years is the result of enthusiastic pioneering work by a number of individuals who have voluntarily given their time and energy to develop a successful formula of competitive international hockey combined with an enjoyable holiday experience. The Association is content with the progress that has been made in the many meetings and discussions which have led to this point and is confident that the proud traditions of the WGMA will not be lost in the new single entity.”
The next major international Masters and Grand Masters hockey events take place later this year in the form of the IMHA European Masters Hockey Championships 2017 (www.ecmasters2017.eu), hosted by Tilburg in the Netherlands from 11-19 August, and the Grand Masters European Cup 2017 (www.eurogm2017.com) which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland from 19-27 August.
FIH site