Whangārei premier hockey was back in action on the weekend after a two-week break but Old Girls may have wished they were still on holiday, suffering their first loss of the season at the hands of Springfield.
With just two rounds before playoffs, the 2-1 win was timely for Springfield as they look to peak at the pointy end of the season.
Old Girls had been the competition standouts heading into the break with nine wins from nine games, so they will be looking to right the ship in the next two weeks.
Also looking a little rusty after the break was Maungakaramea who eventually came out 5-2 winners over Hikurangi to remain in third place on the table.
Maungakaramea had plenty of opportunities to score so will be looking to work on their conversion rate before the knockout stages.
Whangārei Girls' High School had the bye but remain in contention just two points behind Maungakaramea.
Springfield have proven they'll be a force to be reckoned with come finals time in the men's competition too after beating top of the table Maungakaramea 4-1 on Saturday.
They still remain in third place but Springfield's win means the top three teams are all now within three points of each other on the table after Mangapai retained second place, beating Bream Bay 5-1 on Friday night.