GCC Tigers, Hickers vets both repeat 2013 victories, Pepsi Hikers on target

Dec 10, 2014 Sports

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Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Hockey Festival…

The GCC Tigers and veteran side the Hickers both repeated their 2013 victories in the Diamond

Mineral Water International Indoor Hockey Festival while the PEPSI Hikers returned to former glory with a win in the men’s division.  The final night of the festival produced three high-scoring matches that entertained the crowd with displays of skill and speed.
The pre-tournament favourites and national champions the PEPSI Hikers squared off against a determined Old Fort for the men’s final.  Old Fort had just come off of their third comeback win of the tournament with two goals in the closing minutes of their semi-final against GCC and would enter the final with confidence and strong fan support.  The Hikers however had experience, a sound game plan and a boisterous cheering section of their own.
Both teams regarded each other carefully as the game began with Old Fort falling off to a half-court defence and the Hikers quite predictably enjoying the majority of possession.  Spectators seemed in for a long night as the teams seemed reluctant to take chances that would leave their defence vulnerable.  A moment of brilliance however by MVP Jamarj Assanah however would change the evening completely as he outpaced his marker and latched onto the end of a Robert France pass to deflect the ball into the open goal for a 1 – 0 Hikers lead.
Old Fort responded like a disrupted nest of ants as the pace of the game immediately elevated to fever pitch.  With Old Fort’s Aderemi Simon and Jason Dosantos trying to make inroads into the Hikers defence, Andrew Stewart would complete a Hikers counterattacking move and take his team’s lead to 2.

Overlapping right back Shane Samuels would score the third unanswered goal for the Hikers in the final minute of the first half to enjoy the break with a three goal cushion.  Old Fort showed moments of skilful hockey in the second half but if not for outstanding goalkeeping by Tony Cole the Hikers would have scored more than the two goals they managed in the second half.  The PEPSI Hikers earned a well-deserved 5 – 0 victory, making it their sixth festival title in the men’s division.
The GCC Tigers rounded out a dominant performance by improving on their pool match result against Spice with a score of 9 – 0 in the final.  The one-sided affair saw a hat-trick of goals from Captain Sonia Jardine who led her team throughout the competition with her entertaining stick skills and clinical finishing.  Striker Kerensa Fernandes and defender Trisha Woodroffe both scored doubles, while promising juniors Ashley DeGroot and Dacia Woodroffe rounded out the score sheet with one each.
The Hickers managed to retain the Carib veterans trophy for the third straight year in upstaging Old Old Fort 4 – 2.  The duo of MVP Jerazeno ‘Skillaxe’ Bell and midfielder Devin Munroe was too much for the red army to handle.  Munroe scored two of his three goals in the opening minutes to see the Hickers to a comfortable lead from the start.  Despite two goals from Dexter Wyles and Chris Low-Koan, Bell would unleash a bullet of a penalty corner into the roof of the net and Munroe netted his third to claim the 4 – 2 victory in the end.
Jamarj Assanah of the Hikers was named the Most Valuable Player for the male category while the award fell to GCC Tigers’ Sonia Jardine for the women.  The veteran MVP was scooped up by Jerazeno Bell of the Hickers.
In the goalkeeping category, the best goalkeepers on show were decidedly Tony Cole of Old Fort for the men, Briawna Gordon of Spice for the ladies and Audwin Graham for the veterans Old Old Fort.
RESULTS
Men
Finals
Hikers defeated Old Fort by 5 – 0
Goals:  Hikers – Robert France 2, Shane Samuels, Jamarj Assanah, Andrew Stewart.
Semi-finals
Hikers defeated Under-19 by 4 – 1
Goals:  Hikers – Devin Munroe 3, Jamarj Assanah.  Under-19 – Kareem McKenzie.
Old Fort defeated GCC by 4 – 3
Goals:  Old Fort – Aderemi Simon 3, Jason Dosantos.  GCC – Stephen Xavier, Orland Semple, Devin Hooper.
Ladies
Finals
GCC Tigers defeated Spice by 9 – 0
Goals:  GCC – Sonia Jardine 3, Kerensa Fernandes 2, Trisha Woodroffe 2, Ashley DeGroot, Dacia Woodroffe.
3rd & 4th Place Match
Hikers defeated Old Fort Shooting Stars by 6 – 2
Goals:  Hikers – Amanda Garnett 3, Maria Munroe 2, Makeda Harding.  Old Fort – Carol Caine, R. Brumel
Veterans
Finals
Hickers defeated Old Old Fort by 4 – 2
Goals:  Hickers – Devin Munroe 3, Jerazeno Bell.  Old Old Fort – Dexter Wyles, Chris Low-Koan.
3rd & 4th Place Match
GCC defeated Carib by 8 – 4
Goals:  GCC – Devin Hooper 4, Alan Fernandes 2, Marcus Fiedtkou, Damon Woodroffe.  Carib – Randall Ramsammy 3, Kevin Adams.

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