Finals Weekend: Southern looks to tend to 2022 wound
Southern found itself 3-0 up in the 2022 Southland women's hockey final before losing 4-3 with Mataura scoring its fourth goal in the dying moments. Can Southern get the job done in the 2023 decider?
The Southern Hockey Club’s division one women’s team has the opportunity to tend to a wound on Saturday.
Southern will square off against Mataura Gold in the 2023 Southland division one women’s hockey final.
It’s a repeat of the 2022 decider when Southern fell agonisingly short of ending what has been a pretty dominant run from Mataura over many years.
Southern found itself 3-0 up that 2022 final before losing 4-3 with Mataura scoring its fourth goal in the dying moments of the game.
Twelve months on Southern will have another go at taking down Mataura - although it has a job on its hands.
Mataura Gold topped the round-robin standings losing just one of its 15 games. It racked up an 8-0 victory of fellow Mataura team in the Mataura Gold in one semifinal.
Southern banked a 4-2 win over Riversdale in the other semifinal.
Southern Hockey Club captain Allison Bishop said young coach Cody McKenzie had done a good job with the team.
“It’s his second season coaching them and taken them to both finals so we are hoping they will be able take home gold.”
It will be a busy Saturday for McKenzie given he will also play in the division men’s final which will follow the division one women’s final at the ILT Invercargill Hockey Turf.
McKenzie will lineup for Pheonix which will take on Eastern United in the men’s decider.
It’s a massive weekend for the Southern Hockey Club considering it has teams lining up in finals across four divisions.
On top of its division one team Southern Masters will take on Riversdale Pinkies in the division two women’s final.
On Sunday Southern Blue will take on Eastern United in the mixed division three grade finals, while Southern White will play Eastern Black in the mixed division four final, also on Sunday.
The finals weekend will put a full stop on what has been challenging season in the local hockey scene.
About $400,000 worth of new rubber underlay and astroturf, sitting near the hockey fields at Turnbull Thomson Park, was destroyed by fire – just three days before it was due to be laid and three weeks before the season started.
It meant for much of the season game which would have been played in Invercargill were shifted to Gore as the turf situation was sorted.
SOUTHLAND HOCKEY CLUB FINALS
(All games at Invercargill Hockey Turf)
Division 1 Men: Phoenix Orange v Eastern United, 3.15pm Saturday
Division 1 Women: Mataura Gold v Southern, 1.30pm Saturday
Division 2 Men: Eastern United Blue v Eastern United Grey, 11.45pm Saturday
Division 2 Women: Riversdale Pinkies v Southern Masters, 10am Saturday
Division 3 (mixed): Southern White v Eastern Black, 1pm Sunday
Division 4 (mixed): Southern White v Eastern Black, 1pm Sunday