News for 13 February 2021
All the news for Saturday 13 February 2021
Hockey on the Olympic Channel: Red Lions, Delas, Townsend and more
The Olympic Channel, the official news and video service of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has published numerous wonderful hockey stories in recent months. Here are some of the highlights!
Why Belgium men’s hockey team are aiming for a very big 2021
Following the Red Lions recent double victory over Spain in the men’s FIH Hockey Pro League, the Olympic Channel has put together a special feature on their ambitions for 2021, the year in which the reigning World and European champions aim to become Olympic champions for the first time. The feature also includes a video of the team in action at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where they won silver. To see the story, click here.
Olympic Hockey at Tokyo 2020 - Top five things to know
When do the Olympic Hockey matches take place at Tokyo 2020 in 2021, and where? What is the history of hockey at the Olympic Games? Which stars can you expect to see? Find out more by clicking here.
Spain's captain Miki Delas: What hockey has taught me for life
In a special video interview, Spain captain Miki Delas talks about the life lessons that that have come from his involvement in elite sport, covering the sacrifices that all players make in search of success. After 15 years on the national team, Delas talks about what motivates him to keep performing at the highest level at the age of 36. To see the video, click here.
A stroke in time! How Indian hockey team won gold back from Pakistan at Tokyo 1964
Having lost their Olympic crown to Pakistan at the Rome 1960 Summer Games, the Indian hockey team regained the title beating its arch-rivals at Tokyo 1964. Hockey journalist Naveen Peter tells the story. To read more, click here.
Ireland's hockey captain Katie Mullan sets eyes on Olympic podium
After claiming an historic qualification place at the upcoming Games, Ireland captain Katie Mullan has high hopes for the World Cup silver medallists. The feature also includes a video in which Mullan talks about her role on the front line during the Covid-19 global health pandemic. To read more, click here.
Rio champ Susannah Townsend - Being in Tokyo would be my best career achievement
An in-depth feature with Great Britain’s Susannah Townsend, the Rio 2016 gold medallist who is determined to win her fight for Olympic selection and chase a second title at Tokyo 2020 after a lengthy injury lay-off. The story also contains video highlights of the GB’s famous victory over the Netherlands in the 2016 final. To see the feature, click here.
As well as the above, there is a great selection of Olympic hockey match highlights available for your viewing pleasure. You can see an overview of some of the Olympic Channel’s biggest hockey stories by clicking here.
To see a complete list of hockey videos and stories on the Olympic channel, please click here.
www.olympicchannel.com
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#Tokyo2020
FIH site
Hanan Shahid added another Feather in his Cap at Punjab Inter Division
By Ijaz Chaudhry
In the just concluded Punjab Inter Division under 23 hockey championships, Hanan Shahid, captain of the runner up side Lahore, not only finished as the top scorer but was also declared the Player of Tournament.
Hanan Shahid, who is yet to turn 16, is arguably the brightest young star on Pakistan hockey`s horizon.
The prolific striker has already done wonders at all the tiers of domestic hockey. Under 16: Scored nine goals, including one in the final, for the victorious Punjab A team at the national under 16 championships- also captained the side.
Under 19: Player of tournament at the last national junior championships.
National Championships: Kid shone among the Adults. Overall top scorer at the Tray Championships for the triumphant Punjab side. Then in the Main Round, his team`s top scorer.
And now, Under 23.
Hanan, who recently completed his class X from Crescent Model School, has been enrolled at Government College, Lahore, another institution known for excellence in education and sport.
Ijaz Chaudhry writes on hockey & other sports. For more about him and his work, visit: www.sportscorrespondent.info
Fieldhockey.com
Field Hockey Begins New Era, Looks to Remain Dominant
On Saturday, the UConn field hockey team begins its season with a game against Hofstra at 3 p.m. at the Sherman Sports Complex on campus. Usually a fall sport, field hockey is playing now after the Big East decided to move all its fall sports to the spring due to COVID-19.
It's a new era for the field hockey program, but for a different reason than the rest of UConn's teams. Field hockey is the only UConn sport that wasn't affected by the move back to the Big East because it had never left the conference in the first place.
No, this season marks a new era because for the first time in over 30 years, Nancy Stevens is not leading the Huskies on the sideline. Stevens, the winningest field hockey coach in NCAA history, announced her retirement last August, but she will remain with the team on a volunteer basis.
Her replacement as head coach is a familiar face to the program, Paul Caddy. Caddy has been an assistant coach on Stevens' staff for 19 seasons, serving as the associate head coach for the last 10. It's still a changing of the guard for sure, but Caddy will likely be an extension of what made Stevens such a legendary coach.
Caddy will look to maintain the dynasty that UConn field hockey has become in the last decade. The Huskies have won the last eight Big East Tournaments and the last seven Big East regular season titles. They also won three NCAA national championships in that time and haven't missed the NCAA Tournament since 2001.
The team will try to keep that success going this season, and they have the personnel to do it, including the team's second-leading scorer from 2019, Sophie Hamilton. The Huskies are also returning their starting goalkeeper Cheyenne Sprecher, who is coming off a season where she led the country in save percentage and goals against average.
Other main contributors returning to the team this season are back Claire Jandewerth and midfielder Julia Dembrowski.
This is going to be an unusual season. Besides it being played in the spring instead of the fall, there will also likely be last minute schedule changes and postponements as college sports continue to navigate the world of COVID-19. The good thing for the Huskies is that their schedule is very regional this season. They don't have to travel farther than Philadelphia for any of their games.
Right now, the schedule has 17 games on it, including 12 Big East matchups. The Huskies will look to win a majority of those games in order to put themselves in a position to compete for yet another National Championship.
UConn Huskies