Raphael Govia and Sean Lee Quay scored two goals each as defending champions, Queen's Park edged Paragon 4-3 to reach today's semifinal round of the T&T Hockey Board's National Indoor Championship Men's Open Divsion. Going into their final Pool A match of Thursday night, Paragon (four points) needed only a draw against the Parkites (three points) to join Petrotrin (seven points) as semifinal qualifiers. Govia got his club off to the perfect start with a ninth minute go-ahead goal, but Sherbert Mc Kie (12th) and Kiel Murray (14th & 15th) hit back for Paragon to lead 3-1 while Murray also missed a penalty-stroke before Govia got another for a 3-2 score at the half.
Four minutes into the second-half, Lee Quay drew Queen's Park level and a minute he fired in what turned out to be the eventual match winner to end with six points, one behind group winner Petrotrin ahead of today's semifinals. In the semifinal, Petrotrin faces Notre Dame while Defence Force, winner of Pool B meets Queen's Park. The Dames earned their place with six points after Corona Fatima (four) could only muster a 5-5 draw with group winner Defence Force (seven points) in its must-win final Pool match on Thursday night.
Fatima, has only itself to blame though as Quinn Clarke, Brian Garcia and Dev Lum Kit all missed penalty-stroke attempts. The Women's Open semifinalists is also set with the winner of last night's Pool A decider between defending champion Shandy Carib Magnolias and Paragon meeting Pool B runner-up, Notre Dame while the loser of the Magnolias/Paragon clash meets Pool B winner, Ventures.
In the Mixed Veterans Pool B, Notre Dame whipped Stag Malvern 5-2 led by two goals each from Selwyn King and Sean Olton, to end with nine points and certain of a place in the semis behind likely group winner, Defence Force (seven points) which played winless Shape in its final match last night. In Pool A, Queen's Park led with nine points from three matches followed by Corona Fatima and Carib with six points each while Paragon has three. However, while Fatima and Paragon had a match left, Carib completed its schedule. Today's semifinal action begins at 11.30 am.
Thursday's results
Mixed Veterans Division
Pool A
Notre Dame 5 (Selwyn King 6th, 11th, Sean Olton 17th, 20th, Carol Whiteman 8th) vs Malvern 2 (Anthony Marcano 1st, Rose-Ann Reyes 28th).
Women Open Pool A
Malvern 5 vs Defence Force 0 - By Default
Men Open Pool A
QPCC 4 (Raphael Govia 9th, 18th, Sean Lee Quay 24th, 25th) vs Paragon 3 (Kiel Murray 14th, 15th, Sherbert Mc Kie 12th).
Men Open Pool B
Defence Force 5 (Gerard Ferguson 13th, Nicholas Wren 16th, 27th, Roger Daniel 17th, Marcus James 26th)
vs Fatima 5 (Colin Young 24th, Andrew Vieira 25th, 31st, 39th, Alan Young 28th).
Today's semifinal schedule
Women's Open
Magnolias/Paragon vs Notre Dame, 11.30 pm
Men's Open
Petrotrin vs Notre Dame, 1 pm.
Veterans Mixed: QPCC/Fatima/Paragon vs Defence Force/Notre Dame, 2.30 pm
Women's Open
Ventures vs Magnolias/Paragon, 4 pm.
Men's Open
Defence Force vs QPCC, 5.30pm
Veterans Mixed
Defence Force/Notre Dame vs QPCC/Fatima/Paragon, 7 pm.
