The GTT National Indoor Hockey Championship entered its second day of games on Tuesday evening at the National Gymnasium.In the first of six matches,the second division Hikers team took on Saints in what turned out to be a lopsided contest.
Saints must have had their guardian angels during this game since they beat the Hikers 3-0 with Hilmar Chester scoring two of those goals.Some observers believed the margin of victory would have been greater had it not been for Hikers’ goalie who made some daring saves.
Though the first half was more fruitful than the second, this game was not short of excitement as the spectators cheered their lungs out.
In the second game,Old Fort Supersonic went up against Phoenix in another second division clash. Supersonic dominated the first half with three goals (the first by Omar Hopkinson in the very first minute of play), while Phoenix only managed to put one goal on the table.
The second half mirrored the first, as Supersonic added three more goals in comparison to Phoenix’s one,with Omar Hopkinson and Orin Singh being the top goal scorers with two apiece.
The third match of the evening saw second division teams Saints and GCC Pitbulls do battle. At the half the teams were tied at two goals each with Trevon Smith scoring both for the Pitbulls. Things seemed tough in the second half as both teams struggled to surge ahead;then Shaquille Leung scored that decisive goal to give Pitbulls the lead which they held until the final whistle.
Game number four was a clash of the Veterans as Antonio’s Hikers battled Old Fort’s Let’s Get Tropical. At the halfway stage the score was 3-1 in favour of Antonio’s,with Devin Munroe scoring a hat trick while Old Fort scored just one goal;they added two more in the second half.
However, they were no match for Munroe and his teammates who started that half with a bang, eventually ending the game 5-3 in favour Hikers.
Game five brought out some of the big guns in first division hockey when Old Fort Ravens came up against the 2020 National Junior Men’s team. The presumption was that the Ravens had a point to prove and they did that effortlessly.
With just one goal being scored in the first half,those gathered felt that this match would not be thrilling, however, they were wrong. In the second half of the game Asofu Simon and Jason De Santos of the Ravens breached the defence of the National Team and brought their final tally to 3,with Simon being the leading scorer with two goals(scoring one in each half).
The National squad scored a lone goal,however, they were no match for the Ravens.
The final bout of the night was something to behold as First Division powerhouses GCC Bounty and Saints squared off. GCC Bounty was clinical as they demolished their rivals 9-2 at the final buzzer. So many goals were scored it seemed like a practice session. Kevin Spencer was the star of the evening with five goals to his name;three of those coming in the first half. He was unstoppable, not just in offense but in defence as well, thwarting at least two scoring attempts from Saints.
Their two goals seemed insignificant in comparison and the game was over in spirit for Saints even before the end-of-play buzzer sounded.
The action continues until Sunday at the National Gymnasium;starting time 17:30hrs.