Premier Men Hunt For Glory

For the first time since 2014 our Premier Men are in the finals of the Cello Wellington Premier One Mens Competition. 

Finishing third after the regular season, amounting seven wins, three losses and two draws our Premier Men have done incredbily well to push through the quarterfinal and semifinal to give themselves a chance in the big dance. 

Our Premier Men faced Harbour City in their quarter-final two weeks ago. The resiliance and calmness of our boys allowed them to push ahead in shoot-outs, meaning they came up against top of the table Dalefied in a semi-final. 

The sea of blue in the grandstand was evident as our boys put on a show in the first three quarters of the game to go 3-0 against the men from the Wairarapa. Dalefield however are a class side, having won eleven games this season and they came back roaring in the fourth quarter. They were gaining momentum throughout and managed to level the score at 3-3 with just over a minute to play. 

As he has done time and time again this season, striker Sajan Patel managed to find the ball near the top of the circle, and get a shot off with seconds left on the clock. It rebounded off the keeper, and Jainesh Shantilal was able to slot the goal right on full time. 

Reflecting on the game against Dalefield, Coach Hemant Lala said, "Dalefield are a class act and they shifted gears in the last quarter and showed why they have been so dominant over the past eight years."

He went on to say, "we were able to show some of what we are capable of doing and put out a performance we can be proud of and gives us confidence heading into the big dance next week."

The Club are incredibly proud of our Premier Men to get to this stage, but the job certainly isn't done yet. Our Mens teams have an oppurtunity to complete the rare trifecta, having already won the NZISA U23 Tourament and the Queens Birthday Tournament. 

Hutt United Hockey Club pose a massive challenge for our boys this weekend, but our club has faced pressures like this before, and our Premier Men have consistenly proven that when their backs are against the wall, they put on a performance we can all be proud of. 

When our boys go into battle at 2:15pm this Saturday, in their last showing of the 2022 season, they know they have a Club with over 400 members backing them all the way til the final whistle. Bring it home boys!

Where: National Hockey Stadium - Turf 1

When: 2:15pm, Saturday 20th August.