Hockey: Mangapai ease past Maungakaramea

Mangapai's Luther Cronin aims a shot on goal during his side's 3-0 win over Maungakaramea. PHOTO/TANIA WHYTE

Mangapai have kept their lead at the top of the premier men's hockey table early in the season with a 3-0 win over second placed Maungakaramea on Saturday.

Mangapai got on the board early with goals from Julian Roberts and Steve Shepherd in the first quarter.

They utilised their structure and passing game to control the match and Maungakaramea failed to find an answer.

Mangapai captain James Agnew said their hard work on the practice turf was rewarded in game.

"We've done a lot of work on our positioning throughout the layers and you can see it paying off when we're out there," he said.

"Throughout the first two quarters we managed to control the game and it felt like we were holding most of the possession."

Maungakaramea fought hard to get back into the match but couldn't control the ball well enough and gave away possession too often.

This allowed Mangapai to play their game and use their strong midfield to set up attacks through good distribution of the ball.

Mangapai's Mark Thorne Leaps out of Maungakaramea's Sam Webb's strike zone. PHOTO/TANIA WHYTE

The match became scrappy through the third quarter as both sides battled for the ascendancy. Mangapai made the incisive blow and sealed the win when Ben Croucher easily converted their third goal.

Maungakaramea pushed high on attack in the final quarter but the Mangapai defence held strong.

Agnew said the final quarter of the match became a real battle as they didn't gain the possession they wanted.

"In the fourth quarter we just tried to hold the ball again and there was a lot of scramble defense but we managed to hold them out," Agnew said.

Meanwhile Whangarei Boys' High School took their chances to beat Bream Bay 2-0 and notch up their first win of the season, much to the relief and delight of the high school unit.

In the premier women's matches on Saturday, Whangārei Girls' High beat Hikurangi 3-0 while Old Girls beat Maungakaramea 3-1.