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News for 23 April 2019

All the news for Tuesday 23 April 2019


Waterloo Ducks in EHL heaven with remarkable 4-0 GRAND FINAL success in Eindhoven


©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

GRAND FINAL: Waterloo Ducks 4 Rot Weiss Koln 0
Waterloo Ducks became the first Belgian club to win the Euro Hockey League as they put in a monumental defensive performance to beat 2017 champions Rot Weiss Koln to the crown.

Second half goals from ABN AMRO Talent of the EHL William Ghislain, Gauthier Boccard, Max Bertrand and Quentin van Lierde saw them home but it owed a massive amount to Vincent Vanasch’s brilliance as the goalkeeper became one of a rare breed to win the EHL with two different clubs.

Three of those goals came in the last two minutes when Rot Weiss swapped out their goalkeeper while the Ducks were on the back foot for most of the match before their late volley of goals.

Captain John-John Dohmen said his side finally managed to put together the perfect run at the seventh attempt having only once reached the KO8 before this week.

“We had never done a good campaign in the EHL,” he said. “It’s the first time we have shown our real level. Of course, we had to defend a lot because Rot Weiss were really good but that was part of the strategy, to defend hard with courage, and we showed a lot of character.

It was lively right from the beginning as defender Kai Aichinger tore forward in the first phases to cause trouble while Pieter van Straaten and Renaud Pangrazio were buzzing up front for the Ducks.

Vincent Vanasch made two outstanding saves with Jonas Gomoll testing the world goalkeeper of the year’s mettle.

He was again brilliant early in the second half when Marco Miltkau’s under the arm pass was just chipped up at close quarters but Vanasch raised an arm to palm it away.

Rot-Weiss had a goal disallowed when Eric Knobling’s shinpad deflected into the goal from Johannes Grosse’s upright reverse-stick cross. The video umpire came to their rescue that time.

Then, against the run of play, Waterloo used their first real chance of note to set William Ghislain free on the right of the circle and he pumped the ball under Victor Aly for his second goal in two days.

Waterloo began to fall into foul trouble with a series of green cards forcing them deeper and deeper in defence. Mats Grambusch was denied by the post and then smashed a volley into Vanasch’s pads from another big chance.

The Ducks survived with nine men for a spell and then, as Rot Weiss took off Aly in favour of an extra attacker, Waterloo pounded. Pangrazio won a corner with less than three minutes to go and Gauthier Boccard showed no mercy to the unpadded masses to make it 2-0.

Bertrand then profited from more Ghislain brilliance when he laid off the ball into the circle for the striker to add an extra golden moment.

And there was even time left for van Lierde to score a fourth with one second left on the clock for an emphatic looking 4-0 scoreline.

Euro Hockey League media release



Peillat penalty corner power gives Mannheimer HC first ever EHL medal


©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

BRONZE MATCH: Mannheimer HC 3 Real Club de Polo 1
Gonzalo Peillat’s penalty corner double powered Mannheimer HC to their first ever EHL medal as they took bronze with a strong second half performance to deny Real Club de Polo their first ever place on the podium.

“The feeling is perfect, the side made a really good effort for the whole week and I am really proud of the way they gave everything,” Peillat said afterwards.

“Playing three days in a row is something we are not used to do at a high performance level. Both teams were pretty tired so we tried to play on the counter and maybe nick a corner from that perspective.”

Indeed, in terms of his many goals before, Peillat said the one to make it 1-0 was one to remember.

“The first one was a little bit special. We had planned it but maybe not quite so close to the corner – that was a little surprise to even me! It means a lot for us to get this medal, for us to keep growing as a club and to play every year in the EHL will keep us growing.”

The first half was cagey as both sides looked to suss each other out at the end of a long tournament in the Eindhoven heat. Polo won the only corner of the half but could not make it count while Mannheim – with Danny Nguyen to the fore – started to apply the pressure as time went on.

Peillat’s powerful pass was just tipped wide by Tino Nguyen while Teo Hinrichs’ ball went through the circle without a touch, leaving it scoreless at half-time.

The German side continued that momentum into the second half and won a couple of corners, the first of which Mario Fernandez saved. The second one, however, was planted into the top corner by Peillat in the 33rd minute for a crucial lead.

They looked reasonably in control of that narrow lead for much of the third quarter though they did require Lukas Stumpf to get down low to deny Pablo de Abadal when a bouncing cross beat the first two blockers.

And, despite going down to 10 players, Polo fought back to get level with 10 minutes to go when Roc Oliva found a lovely line of pass into the circle and Lucas Baron scored his second goal in two days for 1-1.

The lead lasted just one minute, however, with Peillat rifling home another drag-flick and Timm Haase got the killer blow with five minutes to go when he lifted a chance on the run over Fernandez for the 3-1 lead.

For goalkeeper Lukas Stumpf, he was one of the shortlisted players for the ABN AMRO Talent of the EHL and he was delighted to play his part in the success.

“Yesterday was disappointing for the group but today we showed a strong performance, showed good structure and with the best drag-flicker in the world, it made the difference today. We are so happy to be the third best team in Europe.

“It was hard to come back but we wanted to finish our EHL season with a medal. We are very proud to be the first Mannheimer HC to win this kind of medal but our goal now is to be the EHL champion maybe next year.”

Euro Hockey League media release



USMNT Concludes Series with South Korea in Resilient Performance



SEOUL, South Korea - In the final game of the series played at the Korea National Training Center in Seoul, South Korea saw a resilient, never give up U.S. Men's National Team continue to learn from a higher ranked opponent. No. 17 Korea scored first but a textbook outlet by No. 25 USA that led to a goal evened the score before the hosts tallied two more for the 1-3 win.
 
USA kept the match close throughout the game. Korea earned their first penalty corner halfway through the first quarter and executed to take the early 0-1 lead. USA's defense setup a textbook outlet, which eventually allowed for a pass to the outside right that Tom Barratt (Greensboro, N.C.) received and eliminated his defender. Barratt sent a hard ball down the line to Alex Grassi (Brookeville, Md.) who found a way to run the baseline briefly before sending it across the goalmouth. Eagerly waiting at the perfect spot was Christian DeAngelis (Doylestown, Pa.) who tied the game at 1-1.
 
The game remained fairly even before Korea scored a second goal off a deflection on a hard hit ball into the circle. The third goal came off another penalty corner.
 
A positive week for USA as a lot was accomplished in a short amount of time. The team will head home for a quick break and then a turn around as preparation begins for the FIH Hockey Series Final taking place June 6 to 16 in Bhubaneswar, India.

"We used this week as the start of our preparation for the Hockey Series Finals in India and Pan American Games later this summer in Peru," said Rutger Wiese, USMNT Head Coach. "Overall, we can look back on a great first week, with video meetings, intense trainings and matches. We will continue our trainings this weekend in Moorpark and The Netherlands."

USFHA media release



Namibia beat Zambia 3-0 in inaugural hockey series

by Helge Schütz


Maggy Mengo of Namibia and Catherine Kalomo of Zambia in action during their third test match that Namibia won 6-1.

NAMIBIA beat Zambia 6-1 in their final women's hockey test match on Monday morning to win the Standard Bank sponsored series 3-0.

On Saturday, Namibia won the first test 5-1, but Zambia provided stronger resistance before losing the second test 3-1 on Sunday.

In the final test on Monday, Namibia attacked from the start and took the lead after only a minute through Joane van Rooyen.

Namibian captain Maggy Mengo had a shot saved while Kiana Cormack shot narrowly wide, but their pressure paid off when Tara Myburgh finished off an attack by Mengo to put Namibia 2-0 ahead after 11 minutes.

Zambia opened their account on 27 minutes when the impressive Catherine Kalomo struck a rebound into the net, after Namibian goal keeper Berencia Diamond had saved Patricia Banda's initial shot.

Zambia pushed hard for the equaliser and Diamond came to Namibia's rescue with a great save to deny Margret Munthali just before the half time break.

Namibia stepped up the tempo in the second half and went 3-1 ahead through a great goal by Tara Myburgh as she deflected a cross by Gillian Hermanus into the net.

The home side dominated the final stages with Kiana Cormack scoring a hat-trick to complete a comprehensive victory.

She made it 4-1 when she intercepted the ball on the halfway line, ran right through and then dribbled past Zambia's goalie to put the ball into an empty net.

Her second came with a smart back stick shot after receiving a pass from her sister Jerrica Cormack, while her third and Namibia's sixth goal came from a pass by Mengo that she fired home from close range.

Cormack, who also scored two goals in the first test and another in the second test won the trophy for the top goal scorer with six in total, while Namibia midfielder Jivanka Kruger won the player of the series trophy.

The victory brought an end to a dominant performance by the home team and coach Erwin Handura said the series had provided much needed preparation for upcoming events this year.

Namibia play South Africa next month while they will compete in the final Olympic Games qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain in June.

“Zambia pushed us hard in the second test, so today we changed our strategy to dominate the midfield and that's why we managed to score six goals,” he said.

“The series provided us with was great preparation for our next series against South Africa next month so we want to thank Standard Bank and the ministry of sport for this opportunity,” he added.

The permanent secretary in the ministry of youth, sport and national service, Emma Kantema-Gaomas congratulated the Namibian team on their series victory.

“The Namibian women's hockey team has done us proud over the years and they certainly stand out amongst the other women's teams. In indoor hockey, Namibia is now ranked 11th in the world and first in Africa - your outstanding performances continue to astound us,” she said.

Namibia's team manager Marietta Stoffberg thanked Standard Bank for their support and added that they will once again sponsor the tournament next year, when Zambia's national men's team will also be invited to play against their Namibian counterparts.

The Namibian



Oltmans tells charges: Treat your enemy with respect

SERI KEMBANGAN: Don’t fall flat on your face.

By T. Avineshwaran



National hockey coach Roelant Oltmans (pic) warned his boys not to take any team lightly even though they are ranked lower than Malaysia at the FIH Series Finals.

Malaysia, ranked 13th, will open their campaign against Brazil (27th) in their opening Group B match on April 26 which will be held at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

The other teams in the group are China (14th) and Italy (32nd) while Group A comprise of Canada (10th), Wales (24th), Austria (19th) and Belarus (31st).

Oltmans’ boys will play a friendly against Wales today.

“In a tournament, rankings don’t really matter as every team have their own approach and strategy. Just like Malaysia, they too want to qualify for the Olympics,” said the Dutch coach.

The tournament is one of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games qualifiers.

“Many said that the teams coming here would struggle due to the travelling and our hot climate but they know what they are in for. They would have planned and made the best preparation possible.

“I know Brazil lost their two friendlies against UiTM and the national Under-21 but that doesn’t mean we should underestimate them.

“But I have to say, Brazil are ranked 27th in the world and if we lose to them, we better not think about Tokyo.”

Oltmans said preparations have been good and added that all the players are making good progress in training.

“I’m focusing on my own team. I can only say that we are making clear progress. Physically, tactically and mentally, we are getting better.

“This is a tournament we want to perform ... a tournament we want to win.

“This bunch of players have the quality to succeed and I believe in them. There has been a change in attitude and we are confident of getting the job done.”

Against Wales today, Oltmans said he will try out a couple of strategies and fine tune some aspects of the game.

The Star of Malaysia



Trans-Tasman rivals set for battle on Anzac Day



The Black Sticks final home match in the FIH Pro League for 2019 is on Thursday April 25th (Anzac Day). The men and women will take on their Australian counterparts at North Harbour Hockey Stadium in what promises to be two entertaining matches.

The Vantage Black Sticks Men and Women will have the traditional poppy design heat pressed onto their uniforms in a special tribute to our servicemen and women on Anzac Day.

The New Zealand Defence Force Men and Women will be playing the Australian Defence force in two curtain raisers which will begin with the women at 10:30am, followed by the men at midday on the 25th.

Vantage Black Sticks Women vs Australia at North Harbour Hockey Stadium. Thursday 25thApril 2:30pm NZT. Coverage is on Spark Sport

Vantage Black Sticks Women’s coach Sean Dancer has made one change to the team that took on Argentina in Rosario a week ago. This sees Sally Rutherford return to be one of the two goalkeepers in the match day squad.  Entering the final quarter of that game the sides were locked at 1-1 before Argentina managed to pull away. Dancer will be looking for a complete performance from his side as they look to back up their impressive win over the Australians from Sydney a few weeks ago.

Dancer has retained the youthful look of the side with rising players Katie Doar, Olivia Shannon, Deanna Ritchie and Holly Pearson continuing to stamp their mark on the international game.

Australian striker Savannah Fitzpatrick is leading the Australian side with 3 goals in the tournament. Watch out for her determination and hustle in the circle as she tries to put the New Zealand defenders under pressure.

Vantage Black Sticks Women vs Australia at North Harbour Hockey Stadium. Thursday 25thApril 2:30pm NZT. Coverage is on Spark Sport

Name

Position

Caps

Sam Charlton

Defender

234

Tarryn Davey

Midfielder

47

Frances Davies

Defender

66

Shiloh Gloyn

Midfielder

83

Ella Gunson

Defender

206

Megan Hull

Defender

12

Rose Keddell

Defender

193

Olivia Merry

Striker

215

Stacey Michelsen ©

Midfielder

270

Tessa Jopp

Midfielder

22

Grace O’Hanlon

Goalkeeper

48

Katie Doar

Defender

3

Sally Rutherford

Goalkeeper

178

Olivia Shannon

Striker

8

Deanna Ritchie

Striker

7

Liz Thompson

Defender

182

Amy Robinson

Striker

66

Holly Pearson

Midfielder

3

Vantage Black Sticks Men vs Australia at North Harbour Hockey Stadium. Thursday 25thApril 4:30pm NZT. Coverage is on Spark Sport

Vantage Black Sticks Men’s coach Darren Smith has made just one change to the team that was beaten 4-3 by Argentina in Rosario. Arun Panchia returns to the side to captain the team in the wake of Blair Tarrant’s absence.

The Black Sticks will be looking for improvements in the opening quarter of the match which has been their achilles heel in the early stages of the FIH Pro League. The Black Sticks fought back gallantly after finding themselves behind by 3 goals early in the first quarter against Argentina.

Xavier Guy the young North Harbour striker has been named to play his second match and his first match in front of his home crowd at North Harbour.

Australia possess two lightning drag flickers in Jeremy Hayward and Blake Govers. If Australia earn penalty corners in the match watch as they look to put Richard Joyce and George Enersen under immense pressure in the New Zealand goal.

Vantage Black Sticks Men vs Australia at North Harbour Hockey Stadium. Thursday 25thApril 4:30pm NZT. Coverage is on Spark Sport

Name

Position

Caps

Richard Joyce

Goalkeeper

66

George Enersen

Goalkeeper

50

Shea McAleese

Defender

285

Arun Panchia

Defender

267

Dane Lett

Defender

50

Cory Bennett

Defender

83

Harry Miskimmin

Midfielder

55

David Brydon

Defender

48

Xavier Guy

Midfielder

1

Marcus Child

Midfielder

148

Aidan Sarikaya

Midfielder

34

Dominic Newman

Striker

52

Hayden Phillips

Midfielder

77

Mac Wilcox

Striker

27

George Muir

Striker

120

Dylan Thomas

Striker

14

Sam Lane

Striker

39

Jared Panchia

Striker

111

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Hockeyroos & Kookaburras To Wear Poppy For ANZAC Day Matches

Ben Somerford



The Hockeyroos and Kookaburras will mark ANZAC Day with the addition of iconic red poppies to their uniforms for Thursday’s FIH Pro League match against New Zealand in Auckland which falls on the special day.

The Trans-Tasman encounter will take place on ANZAC Day, 25 April, as the two countries remember the courage, comradery and sacrifice of our men and women service people and their contribution to the heritage, history and culture of the two neighbours.

Hockey New Zealand have organised a variety of activities to mark the day, but notably all teams will have the iconic red poppy placed on their playing tops.

Hockey Australia’s official uniform supplier On The Go enabled the inclusion of the red poppy upon this special request.

Kookaburras coach Colin Batch said: “We respect ANZAC day a lot and I know both teams will look forward to playing and honouring the past.”

Hockeyroos coach Paul Gaudoin added: “It’s a special occasion. Hopefully we do justice and pride to the ANZACs who fought to give us the opportunities that we have.”

The Hockeyroos will play at 12:30pm AEST followed by the Kookaburras from 2:30pm AEST against the New Zealand women’s and men’s sides respectively.

But to further commemorate the ANZACs, the Australian and New Zealand Defence Forces men’s and women’s hockey teams will play curtain-raisers to the FIH Pro League matches.

A 20-minute ANZAC ceremony will also take place from 12:10pm AEST prior to pushback in the women’s match with numerous dignitaries expected to attend.

Hockey Australia media release



Reid takes charge of National camp

Pleased with the talent on view


Graham Reid. 

Graham Reid, who has newly been appointed chief coach of the Indian men’s hockey team, has taken charge of the National camp at the SAI here.

“I am settling into my apartment in SAI and the turf here is world class. I addressed the players when I arrived and expressed my expectations as one unit, one team and that we always need to put the team first. We also spoke about the importance of trust and communication and to make sure it is both ways,” said the Australian.

Reid’s first major assignment will be the FIH Men’s Series Finals, to be played in Bhubaneswar in June, where India will compete against Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Africa, USA and Uzbekistan.

Exposure tour

As preparation for this event, the team will go on an exposure tour to Perth from May 6 to 18, to play a four-match series against the Australian National team.

Reid was pleased with the talent on view during the trials, meant to whittle down the 60 campers to a core group of 33.

“Being part of the national trials gives me a good sense of the talent that is available at the moment and it makes me feel very positive about the future,” he said.

The Hindu



New Indian men's hockey coach Graham Reid urges players to put team first ahead of FIH Men's Series Finals


Graham Reid during his first day in charge of the Indian men's hockey team. Image courtesy: Twitter @TheHockeyIndia

Bengaluru: India's newly-appointed men's hockey chief coach Graham Reid on Monday took charge of the national camp and asked his players to put the team first in his first address to them.

Reid, who arrived in Bengaluru on 20 April, got down to business on Monday, meeting players for the first time at the SAI Centre.

"The turf here is world class. I addressed the players when I arrived and expressed my expectations as one unit, one team and that we always need to put the team first," the 54-year-old Australian said.

"We also spoke about the importance of trust and communication and to make sure it is both ways," he said.

Reid said the available talent in India makes him optimistic about the future.

"I am really glad that I also got to watch the 33 players from the Junior Core Group and being part of the National Trials this morning gives me a good sense of the talent that is available at the moment and it makes me feel very positive about the future," said Reid, a former player of the Australian national team.

Reid's first big assignment as chief coach will be the upcoming FIH Men's Series Finals in Bhubaneswar, starting 6 June where India will vie for top honours against Asian Games champions Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Africa, USA and Uzbekistan.

The Indian team will go for on an exposure tour to Perth, Australia between 6 May and 18 May where it will play a four-match series against the Australian national team as part of their preparations for the FIH Men's Series Finals in Bhubaneswar.

"We extend a warm welcome to Graham Reid on his arrival to India. Many players in the senior team are already familiar with him due to his stint as coach during Hockey India League," Hockey India President Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad.

"The Australia tour will be an ideal ground for him to understand further about the team and their temperament and shortcomings ahead of the crucial FIH Men's Series Finals in Bhubaneswar. We wish him the very best in his new role with the Indian Men's Hockey Team," he added.

Reid was appointed the Indian men's team chief coach early this month after the top post remained vacant for four months since the sacking of Harendra Singh.

Reid took over as Australia coach in 2014 and won a series of titles before a disappointing Olympic outing in 2016 ended the association.

He then moved to the Netherlands as assistant to Max Caldas in 2017 and head coach of Amsterdam HC. He was part of the Australian side that won the silver medal at the Barcelona Olympics.

Firstpost



Euro defeats for Clydesdale Western and Edinburgh Uni on final day of competition



Scotland`s clubs both lost on their final day in Europe as Clydesdale Western and Edinburgh University were unable to record a win.

Clydesdale Western fell short in their bid to gain promotion at the women`s EuroHockey Challenge 1 tournament when they went down 3-1 to French side Lille.

This was a disappointing finale for Derek Forsyth`s charges as they had earlier topped their pool with two victories and a draw.

The foundation for Lille`s victory came with two first half goals by Lyoung Han Hye which gave the Scots a mountain to climb.

An open play strike by Heather Lang provided Clydesdale with a glimmer of hope, but that lasted barely three minutes before Diane D`Haussy sealed the tie with a third goal.

Edinburgh University finished their EuroHockey Club Trophy in Rochester with a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Ukrainian side Sumchanka, a result which leaves the students in last place in the tournament.

Edinburgh had a mountain to climb when they found themselves two down at the interval, Yevheniya Moroz at a penalty corner followed by an open play strike by Olha Honcharenko.

A glimmer of hope in the third quarter with a penalty corner strike by Ellie Halliday to reduce the deficit, but within a minute Sumchanka had restored their two-goal cushion through Yulia Shevchenko.

Although Zara Malseed pulled the score back to 3-2 with ten minutes remaining, Sam Judge`s charges were unable to salvage the match.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Loreto end on a high to boost Irish hopes of retaining top tier place



Loreto gave Ireland’s hopes of retaining their place at the top table of European hockey a big boost as two goals in a 35 second spell saw them beat Belarus’s Ritm Grodno 2-1 in Amsterdam.

It earned the Dubliners a seventh place finish at the EuroHockey Club Cup which, in tandem with UCD’s fourth place in the second tier Trophy, should keep Ireland’s clubs at the same level for 2020.

For Loreto, they trailed 1-0 to a heavily mishit shot from Grodno’s Lizaveta Skurat whose shot deceived the dive of Liz Murphy.

But the Dubliners fought back in excellent style and were level 50 seconds before half-time when Hannah Matthews flicked in a corner rebound from mid-circle.

Sarah Torrans was then credited with the next with 15 seconds showing on the timer before the break when she followed up Siofra O’Brien’s cracking first up strike.

It remained 2-1 through to the finish as Loreto saw out the game in bizarre fashion, foregoing a penalty corner shot in favour of running the ball to the corner for the last 20 seconds.

Retaining top tier status is particularly important this year as the competition will transform in 2020 under the Euro Hockey League umbrella with a commitment to equal prize money and television coverage to the current men’s competition.

Elsewhere, in the competition, Katie Mullan landed a bronze medal as Club an der Alster beat Den Bosch in their third place playoff. UHC Hamburg, featuring Nikki Evans, ended fifth overall.

For UCD, their promising campaign ended on a low note as they lost to a star-studded Waterloo Ducks side who featured several Belgian and Spanish internationals.

They lost 2-0, conceding late in both halves to finish fourth overall but – in the absence of star player Lena Tice – can reflect on a good campaign.

They beat Scottish champions Edinburgh University 5-1 and drew with English finalists Holcombe 1-1 before falling 3-2 to Dinamo Moscow on Sunday.

The Hook

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