Hockey: Tech teams have mixed fortunes

College's Hannah Russell chases the ball against TCOB's Kylie Penn during Techno's 3-1 loss at Gonville Domain on Saturday. Photo/Stuart Munro

Wanganui's two women's squads showed vast improvement against the Manawatu League teams who beat them comfortably in Round 1, but the men's team were fuming with a power play pulled by their schoolboy opposition at the Twin Turfs on Saturday.

Tech College Old Boys were quietly confident heading into their away match against Palmerston North Boys High due to players from both teams being included in the CHL Under 18 representative tournament in Stratford being played that evening and Sunday.

Instead, arriving with a bare-bones lineup of adult players while their teenagers heading to Taranaki to represent Wanganui, TCOB discovered PNBHS were at full strength.

"We would have deferred the game if we knew what they were up to," said player/coach Trent Williamson.

"The Manawatu girls and boys pulled out of that [Under 18] tournament."

TCOB were eventually reduced to nine players after Matthew Perry hyper-extended his knee and a 1-0 deficit at halftime turned into 4-2 by the game's conclusion as the local schoolboys spent the majority of the match on attack.

"They missed some goals, probably a hundred goals in that game," said Williamson.

"They are a sharp team fit and well drilled. They got a lot of [infringement] cards though."

A tired TCOB were eventually reduced to walking speed, which ironically is when they scored both of their goals through Jack Aplin and Williamson, the latter getting his fourth for the year.

Collegians possibly also had to face a stronger Palmerston North Girls High School outfit than they were expecting, with their five Wanganui U18 squad members fronting for the 3pm game before departing to their tournament that evening.

Instead, they nearly reversed their Round 1 loss by leading PNGHS 2-0 at halftime, before a late comeback saw them have to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Coach Jan Dixon said the equalising goal came in the last five minutes from a penalty corner.

"We just got ball-watching a little bit."

Collegians' goals came from Anna Symes and Whetu Hamahona, who had returned to the team to play striker.

Emma Rainey and Shareece Dixon, who switched from left wing to right half, also had big games.

Back at Gonville Domain, the TCOB women seemed up against it, facing a College team sitting top of the grade who thumped them 11-0 during Round 1.

Instead, 'Techno' turned to captain and technical coach Michelle Low to try some different tactics and it reaped benefits as Low herself scored early for a surprise 1-0 lead, coming in from an outside line.

They were able to hold the favourites until College equalised midway through the first half and then took the advantage 2-1 with a goal just on halftime.

College would not score again for 3-1 until midway through the second half and by then TCOB switched to total defence to stop another blowout.

"We battled, and battled, and battled," said co-coach Ian Glenny.

He praised top goalie Melissa Hylton for once again keeping them in the match, as well as Low for getting the team to adjust to a different style against a much stronger opponent. "She ran a different positional format, 3-3-1, that made a huge difference.

Techno were having a catchup game last night at Gonville against PNGHS a match Collegians hoped they would do well in to keep alive their own hopes of staying in touch with fourth spot on the ladder.