Queen’s Park shot to the top of the standings in the men’s open division of the T&T Hockey Board Outdoor Tournament at the National Hockey Centre in Tacarigua on Friday night, disposing of Malvern with a convincing 4-0 victory.
However, that lead could change quickly with the Parkites set to face defending champion Defence Force in a battle among the top four teams. A hat-trick from the prolific Jordan Vieira did the trick for the Parkites in the face of little resistance from their opponents. Coach Darren Cowie, a national standout, admitted he was not expecting his charges to be as dominant as they were against such a powerful side.
Vieira opened the Parkites' account in the third minute with a field goal; before the celebrations had even subsided, Levi Anderson added another three minutes later for a 2-0 advantage.
While Malvern is considered one of the bettrr teams in the division, the Parkites took full advantage of an "off" night for the side, feasting on their defensive frailties. Vieira sealed the win with two additional goals to complete his hat-trick. He made it 3-0 in the 20th minute before hammering the final nail into Malvern’s coffin seven minutes later.
Cowie noted after the match that he was pleased with both the result and the performance.
"It was a very positive result, but more so the performance. I think that's one of the better performances that we put together for the season. It came at the right time when we were finishing the first round of hockey with this doubleheader against Malvern and Army tonight. To get over that hurdle with Malvern and to do it in the fashion that we did it in was really positive for the guys as well."
The Parkites moved to 19 points, with Police in second on 17 points and defending champion Defence Force in third on 16. Cowie reiterated that the margin of victory was a surprise.
"I don't think the win was expected because Malvern is such a tricky team. I'll give you an example. When we faced Paragon, Paragon is a mid-table team as well, but they gave us a big fight, and we ended up winning the fight in the last 10 seconds of the game. Malvern, on any given day, could be one of the best teams in the league based on the players that they have as well. It could have been a tricky game.
“We know that once we put a certain performance down, it would be difficult for them to get past us. I think all the guys stuck to the game plan. We were set defensively, so it was hard for them to break us down. Most importantly, we finished our chances, so that kind of stretched the game apart from them,” Cowie noted.
The result pushed them to the summit, but they are cautiously continuing their stroll in the League. “ It now takes us to the top of the standings. Again, that could change tonight if we don't do the job against Army tonight (last night) at that 7 pm game. For now, we are at the top of the standings above Police and Army, I believe. There's so much more hockey to play, and there are going to be upsets along the way. They've already had some upsets along the way, so it could only get more challenging and competitive for teams, especially the top three, Queen's Park, Police and Army.
“On any given day, any of these teams could beat each other. With only one round of hockey finished, there's a second round to go, the last round of hockey to go. That's like everybody has eight matches still to play, and so much could change in those eight matches.
Meanwhile, Magnolias and Ventures shared the points in a 2-2 tie among the women. A goal each from Elise Olton and Raquel Dowden cancelled out a double strike from Kristin Abreu.
