OAMPS Blades Win In Extra Time

The Final game of the night provided some high quality entertainment, going to the second period of extra time, the OAMPS Queensland Blades coming out the winners 3- 2.

The first half saw the SmokeFree WA Thundersticks get on the board early as double goal scorer Fergus Kavanagh broke through the Queensland defence in the field of play and scored.

This remained the only goal for the half, but not without either team having their opportunities to get ahead of their opposition.

The Blades missed a golden chance in the 23rd minute when Butler, injecting from the left half combined with Eglington for a quick one two, to get a fizzing pass to the right post which Jamie Dwyer narrowly missed for the deflection into the goals.

At the other end a good intercept from Bevan George after ten minutes dominated by mid field play, allowed him a tomahawk shot on goal missing the near post.

In the dying seconds of the half Queensland had two attempts on goal after a Jamie Dwyer dribbling frenzy beat two players to force a rushed shot into the keeper which found Nathan Eglington for the rebound and another missed deflection by a man on the post.

In the second half play resumed as before with a lot of mid field hockey and not many attempts on goal. A stroke in the 42nd minute awarded to Queensland made a difference with Dwyer stepping up and making the equalising shot.

It was short lived however as the Thundersticks moved the attack back to their end and Kavanagh got his second for the match through an amazing tap which jigged past a caught off guard Meadows and into the goals.

WA kept control until 15 minutes to go when Liam De Young managed to get one more for the Blades, thus forcing the Thundesticks to earn the three points, which in the end wasn’t to be as time wound down and extra time was entered.

In the first six minutes of extra time Ross Meadows was outstanding as he saved numerous Queensland attempts, a few in quick succession of one another, on goal. Within two minutes the Blades were awarded a penalty corner after an initial shot and deflection were saved, with another hitting the post, but no goal.

In the second phase of extra time, both teams had their chances either through shots on goal or narrowly missed attempts at connecting with crossed passes begging to be deflected into the goal mouth. In the end Troy Elder combined with Nathan Eglington who received a long ball in the middle of the circle and chipped it over the keeper and into the back of the net for the win.