Four different players scored two goals each as Defence Force made certain a new champion would be crowned in the T&T Hockey Board Indoor Championship Men's Open Division,after it dumped defending champion Queen's Park 10-2 in their semifinal at the Woodbrook Youth Facility, Hamilton-Holder Street, Woodbrook on Friday night.
The Parkites started the match as favourites to advance, having won their round-robin encounter on October 15th 4-2. However, the "Teteron Boys" were in no mood for a second such outcome and took a fifth minute lead via Neil Lashley, but Matthew Tang Nian then hit back for the title holders with field goals in the 11th and 19th minute before Shane Legerton scored on the stroke of half-time for a 2-2 score.
The second half proved to be a one-sided contest as the "Teteron Boys" went on a goal spree with Lashely (24th), Javon Woodward (27th, 31st), Marcus James (29th), Mickell Pierre (30th) and Legerton (32nd) all scoring for a commanding 8-2 advantage. With little chance of staging a comeback, Guyana's Jerazano Bell added a third item for the Parkites in the 34th for an 8-3 deficit but it was too little too late as James added his second in the 36th, and national rifle shooting champion and Olympian Roger Daniel another in the 39th for a 10-2 result to set up a final's meeting with Petrotrin.
The Oilmen had edged Paragon 4-3 on sudden-death flicks after a 5-5 draw in Thursday's semifinal. The second women's open semifinal was also a high-scoring affair as national foward Yesenia Luces fired in a beaver-trick to lead Ventures past Paragon 8-5, to avenge a 4-0 round-robin loss and set up a decider with bitter rival Shandy Carib Magnolias tonight.
However, early on it seemed as though Paragon would get a second win on the trot against Ventures after Keima Gardener and Alanna Lewis netted in the third and eighth minute, respectively, for a 2-0 lead. Luces then went on the rampage with goals in the 11th and 14th minutes while teammates Lindsay Williams (tenth), Cristina Abreu (11th and 20th) also found the target for a 5-2 half-time cushion.
Luces (27th) and Abreu (28th) both completed hat-tricks in quick succession for a 7-2 lead before Kristin Thompson (31st), Zene Henry (32nd) and Danielle Thompson (38th) scored for Paragon to pull within two goals at 7-5. But that was as close as it came as Luces added a fourth item on the stroke of half-time to seal an 8-5 triumph and a rematch with Magnolias in the final from 5 pm today. Also on today is the Mixed Veterans, Under-21 Women and Under-21 Men finals as well as the third place play-off in all categories.
T&THB Indoor Championship results
Friday's semifinals
Under-21 Women
Paragon 3 (Gabrielle Thompson 10th, 11th, 15th) vs Ventures 2 (Jade Piper 4th, Kristin Abreu 18th)
Under-21 Men:
Fatima 2 (Andrew Vieira 4th, Jordan Vieira 6th) vs Malvern 1 (Laza Christopher 10th)
QPCC 1 (Mark Ayen 21st) vs Notre Dame 1 (Daneil Trancoso 16th) - QPCC won 2-1 in sudden-death extra-time.
Mixed Veterans
Malvern 3 (Anthony Marcano 3rd, Shawn Alexander 5th, David Francois 30th) vs Carib 1 (Hillary St Louis 11th)
Men's Open
Defence Force 10 (Neil Lashley 5th, 24th, Shane Legerton 20th, 32nd, Javon Woodward 27th, 31st, Marcus James 29th, 36th, Mickell Pierre 30th, Roger Daniel 39th) vs QPCC 3 (Matthew Tang Nian 11th, 19th, Jerazano Bel 34th)
Women's Open
Ventures 8 (Yesenia Luces 11th, 14th, 27th, 40th, Cristina Abreu 11th, 20th, 28th, Lindsay Williams) vs Paragon 5 (Keima Gardener 3rd, Alanna Lewis 8th, Kristin Thompson 31st, Zene Henry 32nd, Danielle Thompson 38th).
Today's (Sunday) fixture
Third place playoffs
Under-21 Women: Checkers vs Ventures, 9 am
Under-21 Men: Notre Dame vs Malvern, 10 am
Mixed Veterans: Notre Dame vs Carib, 11 am
Women's Open: Checkers vs Paragon, 12 noon
Men's Open: Paragon vs QPCC, 1 pm
Finals
Under-21 Women: Magnolias vs Paragon, 2 pm
Under-21 Men: Queen's Park vs Fatima, 3 pm
Mixed Veterans: Queen's Park vs Fatima, 4 pm
Women's Open: Magnolias vs Ventures, 5 pm
Men's Open: Petrotrin vs Defence Force, 6 pm
