Hikers 4th Annual Junior Indoor hockey Tourney...Two early winners highlight Saturday’s play

Hikers 4th Annual Junior Indoor hockey Tourney…Two early winners highlight Saturday’s play

Sep 22, 2014 Sports

Day two of the 4th Annual Hikers Hockey Club Junior Indoor Tournament saw champions being crowned in two of the six categories. The much anticipated under-13 category was made even more interesting with the inclusion of debutants Kingston Hockey. The Eve Leary based side, is the brain child of hockey enthusiast Trevor Wharton and was a welcomed addition to Saturday’s tournament.

Under-13 Champions Marian Academy

In group X titleholders Marian academy proved their strength in depth by coming out on top the group despite the loss of a number of their talented players to the higher age groups. They would prove too strong for group Y runners-up Saints in the semifinal, dominating the encounter 5-0. The other semifinal featured group Y winners Old Fort against group X runners-up GCC, with Old Fort playing solid defence to edge the tie 2-1.
Although the finals was filled with exciting play, both teams put up solid defensive displays and the match ended 0-0. In the penalty shoot out Marian’s Makeda Harding was the only player to score giving her school the title for the second straight year, proving that you should never underestimate the heart of a champion. GCC defeated Saints 2-0 to take third, while Hikers Hatchets edged Kingston 1-0 in penalties to take 5th place, after their game ended 2-2.
In the Global technology Inter Schools category defending champions St. Stanislaus College would do battle against Christ Church, Marian Academy, North Ruimveldt Multilateral, Queens College and St. John’s College. In the round robin phase of the competition Christ Church was clicking on all cylinders, winning all but one of their matches, while at the other end of the table, Queens College struggled without the presence of their national women’s team star Aliyah Gordon.
In the semifinal round, top seed Christ Church would play fourth seed North Ruimveldt Multilateral, while second seed Marian Academy took on third seed St. Stanislaus College. As expected Christ Church advanced to the final, prevailing 2-0, but St. Stanislaus College turned the tables on their higher ranked opponents running out 3-0 winners. The final was a keenly contested affair with both sides refusing to give up any ground, before Christ Church’s Stephon Sprosta gave his side the goal that would decide the encounter. In the third place playoff Marian Academy took care of North Ruimveldt Multilateral 4-0.
Saturday’s action also saw the training of several young umpires who refereed matches under the supervision of FIH umpire Devin Hooper.
Yesterday the action was due to conclude with the other categories in action.
The tournament is being run by the junior players of the Hikers and Saints Hockey Clubs as part of their junior development programs, where youngsters learn all the intricacies of pulling off a tournament of this magnitude. In addition to playing in the tournament, junior players are responsible for performing the duties of judges and umpires for all the games in addition to organizing and staffing the food and drinks bars.