Queenslanders Again Too Good For WA

Scorchers hold on to win 3-2  

The Queensland Scorchers enjoyed their second win of the AHL home week-end today, holding on to beat the SmokeFree WA Diamonds 3 – 2.

The Scorchers scored first, with Susie Faulkner scoring a spectacular diving goal off an Angie Lambert hit just four minutes into the first half. The two teams battled it out up and down the field until one minute before half time when striker Shannon Bain scored a penalty corner just one minute from half time for the Scorchers, and taking them to a 2-0 lead in at half time.

The second half was shaping up to be similar to the first, with Queensland’s standout player of the game Madonna Blyth scoring a field goal two minutes into the second half. The westerners stepped up their attack half way through the second half when Ashleigh Nelson scored an easy penalty corner when Scorchers keeper Carla Hunter fell to the wrong side of the box.

Diamonds’ striker Melissa Luff followed up just a minute later with a field goal that seemed to appear from nothing and caught the Scorchers’ defence by surprise. The Scorchers held on to take the match, with Queensland’s goal keeper Carla Hunter stopping some determined WA attack in the last five minutes. 

Goals               

Qld in 4^th minute  Field goal by Susie Faulkner

Qld in 34^th minute  Penalty corner by Shannon Bain

Qld in 37^th minute Field goal by Madonna Blyth

WA in 41^st minute  Penalty corner by Ashleigh Nelson

WA in 42 minute Field goal by Melissa Luff

 Blades win in thrilling double extra time 3-2

Defending AHL Champions, the Queensland Blades, were made to work for their 3-2 win in double overtime against the SmokeFree WA Thundersticks this afternoon at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

In a Fast’n Furious match, neither team was able to break the other any time in the first half, with Blades young player Jacob Burns and Kookaburra Nathan Eglington leading the way in defence.

Queensland was the first to find the back of the net in the 37^th minute when a hit from just outside the circle found Dean Butler who slammed the ball past the keeper. The Thundersticks answered when a hit from well outside the circle found Daniel Trigwell, who smashed the ball past the glove of Queensland keeper, Stephen Lambert. 

With ten minutes to full time the Blades looked as though they had the game won when Troy Elder hit from a straight, simple play from a penalty corner finding the centre of goal box, but the Western Australians retaliated with a hard hit from well outside the circle finding Trigwell who smashed the ball high into the net, for his second of the match, to the surprise of the Queensland defenders.

The golden goal was scored in double extra time when Queensland’s Troy Elder blasted the winning goal from a rebounding ball off a penalty corner.

Goals                          

Qld in the 37^th minute Field goal to Dean Butler

WA in the 47^th minute Field goal to Daniel Trigwell

Qld in the 61^st minute Penalty corner to Troy Elder

WA in the 65^th minute Field goal to Daniel Trigwell

Golden Goal to Qld in the 80^th minute                

Penalty corner to Troy Elder

The Blades and Scorchers travel to Darwin next week-end to play the Northern Territory.