Junior National Hockey Indoor Championship…
THE Saint’s Hockey Club ruled the U21 and U17 categories at the Guyana Hockey Board Junior National Champions finals, staged Saturday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The boys’ U21 team saw Saints S’ team edging GCC Cowboys 5-3 to capture the title.
Clay Bobb converted a field goal to get them off the mark before a hat-trick from Jabari Lovell gave Saints an unassailable lead in the contest 4-0.
However, the GCC Cowboys didn’t lie down, bouncing back from 4-0 down to put the Saints under serious pressure; Grant Fernandes scored a double to bring down the lead to 4-2.
Bobb didn’t stop there, scoring his second for Saints to make it 5-2.
GCC Lucas Sargeant scored a penalty corner late in the contest to cut Saints’ lead, but they still settled for second as they lost 5-3.
Saints S’ team beat Old Fort Viper 4-1 to reach the finals, with Lovell again showing his scoring ability with a quadruple as he finished player of the U21 tournament.
The girls’ U21 finals was more of a one-sided contest as Saint’s Ladies dominated GCC Spartans 4-1.
Clayza Bobb opened the scoring for Saints, but GCC Spartans’ Hannanh Percival quickly responded to level the score.
Saints then pulled away with Bobb scoring again to end with a double before goals from Makaylah Poole and Hadassah Fraser sealed the victory 4-1.
Saints Ladies were equally brutal in the semifinals, brushing aside Hikers 6-nil.
GCC Spartan, led by Tournament MVP Rebecca Ferreira, needed a shootout to overcome the Old Fort Bomb Squad and reach the U21 finals.
Other individual winners for the U21 category were Most Promising Player Alia Thomas (Hikers), Best Goalkeeper Sarah Harry (Saints), and for the boys, Most Promising Player Giovanni Grant (GCC Cowboys) and Best Goalkeeper Malik Chester (SHC S’Team).
In the U17 class, Saints Sigma needed a sudden death penalty shoot-out to see off the challenge of GCC Outlaws 1-0 after their clash ended 1-1 in regulation time.
After the shoot-out was unable to settle the score, sudden death was required, with Sigma, coming out on top after scoring, with GCC outlaws missing their first attempt.
Saints Sigma bullied Old Fort Predators 4-1 to reach the finals; Ezekiel Moses led with a triple, and Fayed Mohamed scored the other goal.
GCC outlaws earned their place in the finals after getting past Hikers Hatchets 4-2 with a Luc Scott hat-trick; he went on to take the most promising player award.
On the distaff side, the U17 girls’ finals saw Saints’ Sensations defeat Old Fort Phantom’s troupe 3-1 to take the title.
Hadassah Fraser, Makaylah Poole, and Carenza Copeland scored the goals.
Saints Sensations edged GCC Hurricanes 3-1 in the semis, while the Old Fort Phantom troupe stormed into the finals after a 9-nil thrashing of Multi Stars in the other semi-final.
Keitanna Percival was imperious, scoring 7 goals to finish as one of the competition’s top scorers.
The other individual award winner for the U17 division was Best Goalkeeper Clay Bobb.(SHC Sigmas), Player of the Tournament: Grant Fernandes (GCC Outlaws).
On the female side, the most promising player was Angelique Smith (Multi Stars), the best goalkeeper Jazlyn Smith (Old Fort Phantom Troupe), and the Player of the Tournament was Makaylah Poole (Saints Sensations)
