TCOB's Ryan Gray heads for the Massey circle at Gonville Domain on Saturday.
Both Whanganui teams let slip their Manawatu Division 1 playoff chances at the last gasp as they finished fifth following tough defeats on Saturday.
Sitting fourth, Tech College Old Boys were always going to be up against it when they faced second-placed Massey at Gonville Domain, given fifth-placed High School Hockey Club had a lay-up going against the winless Palmerston North Boys High at the Twin Turfs.
Nonetheless, TCOB had possibly their strongest turnout of players this season with a full bench to rotate, and the 4-0 defeat does not reflect their luckless effort - as the clinical visitors were able to score goals right on the buzzer of halftime, three quarter and fulltime after back-and-forth exchanges.
The goalposts would have received the best defender award as somehow TCOB managed to strike them three times - statistically harder to do than getting a shot through the 3.65m gap in-between.
Playing with their shirts inside out so not to clash with the TCOB blue, Massey opened the scoring off one of their first chances in front, where they collected the rebound and slammed a second attempt home.
Lee Moir made a good individual run, with the Massey keeper reaching up to stop his high flick shot, while Ryan Gray made the first of several strong incursions and Josh Mcdonnell grabbed a good turnover of the Massey return.
The TCOB defenders backed up their keeper as Massey had two late chances in the quarter to score but found sticks in the way each time.
Neither side found the goal in the second quarter, with TCOB having to do a lot of work from the back, with Craig Ritani getting one chance after making the steal, but his shot was covered as Massey proved they are so dangerous on the breakaway to immediately regain momentum.
A penalty corner saw Massey try another fake shot followed by an angled pass, and this time it worked to flick one into the upper net for 2-0 at halftime.
TCOB lifted themselves as Matthew Forward tried a simple lead into the circle and it found a gap to nearly surprise the Massey keeper, while William Reid showed total commitment with a full-stretch dive to batter the ball back towards the goalmouth, but the forwards could not connect.
Forward's penalty corner shot was blocked, while Gray again heard the unwelcome clang of hitting the post.
Adding insult to wounded pride, after all that effort, Massey broke out right on three quartertime and showed the home side how to execute the finish for 3-0.
Sensing the kill, Massey upped their pace and TCOB were scrambling in the final stages, and they would hold out until right at the death before an unflattering final goal.
The inevitable was confirmed when news came through of HSHC's comfortable 5-1 win over PNBHS.
"Very frustrating, see very good field play and attacking play," said coach Russell Burgess.
"We had as good an opportunity as we've had all season to cause an upset.
"When those [Massey] guys came off, they knew they'd had a game.
"You just need guys to put it away, it just didn't happen."
Burgess praised Reid for his bursts down the sideline, as well as captain Callum Wilbur, who was player of the day and the season.
Wilbur and Mcdonnell were the ironmen - the only ones to play every match - as TCOB were cursed for a lack of numbers, especially during their hard run of five straight games in Palmerston North in the back half of the season.
Time and again, Burgess had to go out to find ring-ins and inexperienced schoolboys for barely enough bodies on the field, with no two weekends having the same lineup.
"We just need firmer commitment from a few more players," he said.
"They are in Whanganui - they know who they are.
"We need all players, who play hockey at that level, to play."
While TCOB were able to give themselves a slight chance with two late season wins at Gonville, the combined Wanganui women's team went the other way as they fell from third down to fifth after four losses in a row - finishing with a 2-1 defeat to fourth-placed Palmerston North Girls High at Twin Turfs.
The team still have one match to play as they have a playoff for fifth with winless College Development this weekend.
After a scoreless first half, Wanganui got on the board with a Jess Watkin field goal in the third quarter, but the Manawatu teenagers hit back two minutes later with a field goal of their own.
A successful penalty corner by PNGHS in the fourth quarter put the visitors up against it, while the teams had to come off for a spell due to a shower of hail six minutes from fulltime.
Play resumed but Wanganui could not force an equaliser, although they needed to win the game to finish fourth.
"We had plenty of opportunities, it wasn't for lack of trying," said coach Colleen Baylis.
"A few opportunities in the circle went begging."
The team will treat their last match as an chance to have a bit of fun after a tough campaign in the new-look Division 1.