A hattrick from American import Patrick Harris helped Auckland to a 3-3 draw with Wellington and cling to the lead after the fourth round of men's National Hockey League matches today.
Auckland failed to maintain their perfect record and are just one point ahead of North Harbour atthe midpoint of the 10-day tournament in Auckland.
Wellington trailed 1-2 at halftime but kept their final hopes alive with a strong second half, with their goals coming via Gareth Brooks, Joel Baker and Matt L'Hullier.
Harbour thrashed Central 5-0 in a dominant display, with Steve Edwards scoring twice while Trinidad and Tobago import Kwan Browne was impressive.
Wellington inched ahead of Central into third place while Canterbury's hopes plummeted with a shock 1-5 loss to Midlands.
Northland pipped Southern 3-2 in the clash of the bottom teams.
North Harbour appear to have one women's final berth sewn up after a fourth successive win today, whitewashing Northland 3-0 thanks to goals for Kelsey Dunn, Petrea Webster and Karlie Marloney.
Five teams are queuing up for the second final slot, including Wellington, who thrashed Southern 5-2 thanks to goalscoring doubles to Valissa Armstrong and Niniwa Roberts, and Midlands, who beat Central 2-0.
Auckland are also in the hunt but suffered a surprise 0-1 loss to Canterbury, with midfielder Stacey Carr outstanding for the winners and Anna Wetherall snaring the goal just before halftime.
