Four long days of inline hockey culminated in the Open men's and women's finals at the inter-regional championships at Jubilee Stadium yesterday.
Unfortunately for local supporters, Team Blue in the Open Men's grade, which included three Whanganui players, were not able to make the final, as instead favourites Team Greentook on Team Yellow.
All three squads were made up of players chosen from around the country.
Green would win 6-3 after pulling away in the latter stages of the second half.
In the Open Women's match, a best of three series, the final game was won by Team Purple 3-2, beating Pink who included local Sophie Walker.
The Men's match closed the tournament and Green scored first after a tussle in front of their goal, although Yellow alleged that the puck had missed the inside of the net and got in through a hole at the back.
The underdogs then had to defend hard with three players and their goalie after a player was sent to the penalty box, but they held on and then hit back with 4m 50s left until halftime.
Buoyed, Yellow then took the lead with 2.50 remaining after putting the puck through the passing chain and getting the slap shot in from the left of the goalmouth.
Green increased their urgency and tied the scores 2-2 after a rebound off the goalie with 74s remaining in the half.
Yellow went for it all just after the resumption, getting the goal after getting the ball behind the keeper in a diving mess at the net.
However, Green increased their shift changes to keep the fresh legs out there, and despite Yellow dives at the puck they struck the equaliser, and then just over a minute later and regained the lead 4-3 with Yellow calling a time out with 8.08 remaining.
It would mean little as Green snatched a turnover and scored to create some breathing space, and then with 3.50 remaining they put the match beyond doubt after passing around Yellow's net, before a straight slap shot that the tired keeper missed.
Green's Liam Shields tries to get the puck through the Yellow defence in the Open Men's final.
The Women's Open game proved to be a thriller as Purple went out to a 2-0 lead midway through the second half, before Pink, playing with their shirts inside out to avoid colour confusion, closed the gap to 2-1.
Purple had seemed to wrap the match up at 3-1, but again Pink scored to set up a pulsating finish.
They pulled their goalie to go with five attackers, but Purple held the line in front of their net and then got down into Pink's half to force them to scramble back and wind down the last 60s on the clock.
The four other remaining grades also held their finals yesterday, following on from the youth finals on Sunday.
Winning Team Green was: Sam Kay, Liam Shields, Darryl Jameson, Maxim Kaluzhny, Aaron Stockman, Scott Henry, Vinnie Cistrone, Dion McLean, Luke Gibson, William Jackson, Caleb Ibbotson.
Winning Team Purple: Abigall Bridgeman, Terryn Bruce, Ashley Cunningham, Phillipa Eddy, Jasmine Horner-Pascoe, Helen Murray, Rachael Neville-Lamb, Jessi Scott, Ryana Scown, Taylor Stockman, Laura Thresher, Summer Turia, Nina Dodds, Lochlyn Hyde.
