KEY POINTS:
Wellington pushed the memories of last season's disastrous women's national hockey league behind them yesterday with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over last year's champions, North Harbour.
The win, in the final round, took Wellington to the top of the points table, earning them the top seeding going into
tomorrow's semifinals. If they win through to Sunday's final, the Chris Leslie-coached side will be chasing a triumph to follow up their successes in 2003 and 2005.
Northland, the early pace-setters in this year's league, finished round-robin play with a good 2-0 win over 2004 champions Central to book their semifinal spot, their first top four finish in four years in the league.
Northland, who won four straight games at the start of the competition before hitting a rough patch of a draw (against Auckland) and a loss (to Wellington), bounced back in style yesterday.
Joanne McQueen got the last touch in a goalmouth scramble to give Northland a 12th-minute lead. Both teams then had chances but despite the best efforts of Charlotte Harrison (Northland) and Caryn Paewai (Central) neither side seriously threatened to score.
Harrison did, however, have the last say when, three minutes from time, she deflected a free hit high into the Central goal.
Wellington, led by top goalscorer Niniwa Roberts, stormed home to beat the hosts and win a semifinal against Midlands who beat Southern 4-2 to claim fourth and push Central out of contention.
Harbour opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Stacey Michelsen found a way through a congested circle to score.
Roberts got that back just before the break.
Two goals in the opening five minutes of the second spell to Teneal Attard and Roberts put the visitors 3-1 ahead and in control. Karlie Maloney scored a late consolation goal for Harbour.
Midlands led Southern 3-1 at halftime and went on to win comfortably, ending Central's hopes of a spot in the semifinals.
Auckland beat old rivals Canterbury 3-1 in what, in past years, could have been one of the most-awaited clashes.
The pair will meet again tomorrow in the battle between the teams finishing sixth and seventh. A far cry from their glory days.
The men will be back in action today chasing places in tomorrow's final.
* Meanwhile, the naming of the New Zealand players of the year at last night's awards dinner had a touch of irony for the Auckland men's team.
Both the player of the year, Ryan Archibald, and the under-21 player of the year, Simon Child, are from Auckland.
Archibald [overseas] has not played in this season's NHL. Child has, but even his second-equal spot on the goal-scoring list was not enough to save the Manoj Daji-coached team from missing a place in today's semifinals.
Central's Emily Naylor took the women's player of the year and her Black Sticks teammate Harrison the young player honours.