Northland premier hockey: Hikurangi coach Roland Price hopes for finals surge

Whangārei Girls' High School's Claire Donnelly (left) sprints down the line, avoiding Hikurangi player Amy Jones in an earlier game this season. Photo / File

Hikurangi premier women's hockey coach Roland Price can see the stars aligning for his team as they approach the first round of the competition's finals.

Price and his team, who play Old Girls in a fourth/fifth playoff game this Saturday afternoon, secured their first win for the season against an in-form Whangārei Girls' High School, 4-1, at the Northland Hockey Centre on Saturday.

"I'm super pleased with where we are at now, we've certainly been building through the season and I think we're a bit of a dark horse come the finals because we are playing really well," Price said.

Just last week, Whangārei Girls' High School (WGHS) toppled league leaders Springfield, 2-1, while Hikurangi drew narrowly with Old Girls 2-all.

Hikurangi led the school team 3-0 at halftime and after an early goal from WGHS in the third quarter, Hikurangi restored their three-goal buffer soon afterwards and kept their lead until the final whistle sounded.

"I just told the girls to get out there and enjoy it," Price said.

"It wasn't going to impact our season, so I just told them to have fun and they certainly did and once they got the score ticking over, they kept enjoying it more and more."

Looking ahead to Saturday's playoff game against Old Girls, Price hoped his team would have some belief in their ability to progress to the semifinals against Springfield.

"Once you've been in a side that's been beaten most of season, they wait for the inevitable to happen rather than having the belief to win," he said.

"They certainly have been close to taking one win in the last few games and they are playing well enough to go on further."

In the round's other game, Maungakaramea drew 1-all with Old Girls. In Northland's premier men's competition, Whangārei Boys' High School beat Bream Bay 4-2 while Mangapai beat Maungakaramea 2-1.