Hockey: Challengers peaking at sharp end of season

SCORER: Laura Douglas netted the equaliser for Old Girls'.PHOTO/FILE

Maungakaramea proved a point to themselves and to round-robin winners Old Girls' that they shouldn't be taken lightly when it comes to the start of the finals' series next weekend.

The two hockey teams met in a dead rubber on Saturday with Old Girls' already assured of taking the top spot and Maungakaramea safe in second place but the match was anything but pedestrian.

Both goals were peppered by shots throughout the game with Julie Taylor scoring for Maungakaramea midway through the first spell to give the underdogs the lead at the break.

Old Girls' Laura Douglas equalised from a penalty corner just minutes into the second spell and the rest of the game was a see-saw battle with both sides attempting to break the deadlock.

The 1-1 draw was a pretty good result for both teams, Maungakaramea skipper Jane Thompson said.

"Both of us lost in the last round so both teams wanted to finish strongly before the finals start," she said.

"It was a confidence boost for us because we had a bit of a shaky start to the season but we've been a lot better in the past two rounds, our combinations are improving and we've really come together as a team at the right time of the season," she said.

Nat Child and Ella Gunson were an effective combination along the right flank, leading to several good scoring chances, some of which perhaps should have been put away.

In the other Northland Women's Premier matches, Springfield beat Whangarei Girls High School 2-1, while Hikurangi thumped Mangapai 6-0 with Alyse Morgan scoring a hat-trick.

Hikurangi need to win or draw their catch-up fixture against Springfield tonight if they are to qualify as the third-place team.

They are another team peaking at the business end of the tournament and were responsible for beating Old Girls' 3-2 last week.

In the men's competition third-placed Mangapai had a dress rehearsal for next week with a 5-2 win over Bream Bay, with Richard Redfern scoring a hat-trick and Matthew Jacobson adding a double.

The match will be replayed next week with the winner going on to play the loser of the first- and second-placed teams' clash, the following week.

Maungakaramea won the other match on Saturday, beating Springfield 2-1 with both sides now qualifying for the first- and second-placed preliminary final next week.