QUT's Mick Lehmann gives chase as Commercial striker Cale Cramer streaks
towards the Ibis circle.

QUT's Andrew Penhaligon takes on Commercial defender Leighton Stock.

Commercial's Tom Brough tries to evade QUT tackler Chris Gilmore.

Cobras striker Kye Hawgood beats Ibis fullback Tommy Mills, on the way to
scoring his third goal of the match.

BRISBANE HOCKEY LEAGUE – Round 13

Labrador 3 (Mark Harris 3) drew with Bulimba 3 (Mitchell Grant, Troy Elder, Jaryd Cutler) at Burringbar Park, Chermside.

A hat-trick to Labrador’s Mark Harris pushed the table-topping Bulimba team to the brink before the Tigerstix and Bulls shared the points. Bulimba took to the turf holding top position on the ladder, but it was the Tigerstix who looked dangerous early. However, a burst of speed from Mitchell Grant saw him fight off the defence of Kane Hancock to sink an unlikely goal for the Bulls. The Tigerstix were immediately in striking range with a penalty corner and a solid strike from Harris was enough to beat diving Bulls goalkeeper Stephen Lambert. With momentum firmly in Labrador’s favour, Harris got his double minutes later when quick passing manoeuvred him into close range. The Tigerstix dominated in the back-end of the first half with countless raids on the net, but former Australian goalkeeper Lambert pulled off impressive saves, before Jaryd Cutler found himself in front of the net minutes before the break to tie up the scoreboard. The two sides found themselves in a stalemate in the second half but the Bulls finally found a breakthrough when Troy Elder convincingly beat Labrador goalkeeper Matt Woods. Labrador had all the momentum but Lambert was proving too impressive in the net. With just over five minutes remaining, Labrador were gifted a penalty corner, which Harris converted brilliantly on his second shot to earn his hat-trick. Labrador put the pressure on the Bulls with a corner on the fulltime buzzer, but solid keeping from Lambert managed to leave the match in a deadlock – Amy Price.


Pine Rivers St Andrews 6 (Brent Garske 2, Ryan Gibbs 2, Ryan Kilpatrick 2) defeated University of Queensland 1 (Nicholas Miller) at the Clem Jones Sports Centre, Carina.
 
Three goals in the opening six minutes of the match propelled Pine Rivers St Andrews to a commanding victory over University and top spot on the competition ladder. Craig Smith initiated the Saints’ opening goal, slicing through centre field before finding Ryan Gibbs on the back line, who in turn found Brent Garske with a cross.  Moments later Gibbs found himself unmarked at the top of circle, and was able to draw University goalkeeper David Watts, providing teammate Ryan Kilpatrick with the easiest of finishes.  Gibbs was again in the thick of the action only one minute later, this time receiving a pinpoint pass from Luke Reddiex, before setting up Garske for his second.  A perfectly executed short corner after the halftime break saw Gibbs add his name to the scorer’s sheet, though the margin was reduced to three when University was allowed a dubious goal.  Nicholas Miller, playing just his second match in three years, scored for the first time in the top grade when he managed to deflect the ball past Saints goalkeeper Chris Dick, after the long-range pass had flown through a pack of players at head height.  It would be the only highlight for University, with Kilpatrick making no mistake from close range to resume the Saints’ scoring, and bag a double.  Gibbs then found himself in a similar position following a Craig Smith pass, expertly placing the ball in the corner of the goal box. The win makes it five straight victories for the Saints, a feat they haven’t achieved for some time – Nicholas Bolton.


Redcliffe Leagues 4 (James McAlpine 2, Corey Kreis 2) defeated United 1 (Adam McClelland) at Burringbar Park, Chermside.

Redcliffe Leagues continued their dominance over United, recording their sixth straight win against their opponents. United struggled with ball control in the opening few minutes of the game, with Redcliffe Leagues continuously stealing possession. However, Adam McClelland from United opening the scoring in the eighth minute with a penalty stroke, after the ball had struck Redcliffe Leagues defender Ashley Zanetti on the goal line. McClelland then visibly tried to keep the momentum going for his team, but Redcliffe Leagues didn’t let up their fierce defence. United’s Dane Robinson was given a yellow card and sent off for five minutes midway through the first half, with James McAlpine taking advantage of his opposing side’s misfortune soon after. McAlpine sent a drag flick into the net from a penalty corner, to take him to the top of the competition’s goal scorer’s chart. This goal was the beginning of a real tirade against United by the Redmen, with another penalty corner successfully converted by McAlpine a mere six minutes later, his 11th goal from his past eight games against United. McAlpine's teammate Corey Kreis then continued the scoring trend, rounding out the first half with two field goals to put the scoreboard at 4-1, where it stayed for the remainder of the game. Both teams had chances to add to the scoreboard in the second half, however rival goalkeepers Daniel Pink (Redcliffe Leagues) and Justin Morris (United) earned their keep by saving multiple attempts at the box – Tess Lawrence.


Easts 6 (Simon Mills 2, Jarrod Black, Todd Watson, Brad Mathers, Andy Ridgewell) defeated Valley 2 (Patrick Krusi, Aaron O'Beirne) at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

Valley's quest for a first playoffs appearance in 17 years suffered a blow when they were outclassed by fellow finals aspirants Easts. The Tigers were always one step ahead of the Diehards, who felt the loss of a handful of young stars to representative duties more than Easts missed their absentees. In a first half that saw three yellow cards and four green cards issued by the umpires, Jarrod Black scored first, before Simon Mills doubled Easts' lead when his penalty corner shot went between Valley defender Alex Short and goalkeeper Kris Maslowskyj. After struggling to breach the Easts defence all half, Valley hit back when Patrick Krusi flicked the ball into goal three minutes before halftime following a goal mouth scramble. The Diehards' hard work in getting on the scoreboard was undone when Todd Watson weaved past Valley defenders and put his reverse stick shot into goal 30 seconds out from halftime. Mills beat Maslowskyj again from a penalty corner just two minutes after the break, but Valley were back in the hunt when Aaron O'Beirne's slap shot gave the striker his first top-grade goal. When Short saved a shot on the goal line and Nathan Hurley missed a golden scoring chance it appeared fortune would favour Valley, but two Easts goals in three minutes gave the Tigers an unassailable four-goal lead. First Brad Mathers finished a solo run with a shot that bobbled its way into goal, before unmarked George Clutton received a Mills overhead pass and set up Andy Ridgewell to score – Lee Oliver.


Commercial 12 (Cale Cramer 4, Kye Hawgood 3, David Brain 2, Adam Barry, Joel Torrisi, Dean Rawding) defeated QUT 0 at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

Cale Cramer scored four goals and Kye Hawgood claimed a hat-trick as Commercial taught QUT a hockey lesson, finding the back of the net six times in each half against the hapless Ibis. Keeping the Cobras scoreless for 20 minutes in the second half was the only high point for QUT, who also lost heavily to Commercial 12-1 in Round 4. David Brain sank a reverse stick shot to open the scoring for the defending champions in the eighth minute, before Cramer scored three goals in seven minutes. Adam Barry extended Commercial's lead to 4-0, with 15 minutes elapsing before Hawgood scored his first goal with a simple tap-in from the Cobras' sixth penalty corner of the first half. Commercial's goal scoring frenzy resumed two minutes after the break, when Brain ran down the backline to set up Hawgood, who then scored his third goal in four minutes with a stunning strike. The forward slid to keep the ball from running over the left sideline, before regaining his footing, beating defenders Mick Lehmann and Tommy Mills with a cross-field run, then sending a shot into the top of the net. The ball hit the top corner again five minutes later when a cracking Cramer strike hit the target. After Joel Torrisi's reverse stick shot bobbled past QUT goalkeeper Blair Burden, the Cobras didn't score for another 20 minutes. However, QUT's resilience was shattered when they conceded two further goals in the final minute of the match, with Brain collecting a rebound from Burden's pads and Dean Rawding hitting the backboard with one second remaining – Lee Oliver.


POINTS:

Pine Rivers St Andrews 32, Commercial 31, Bulimba 31, Redcliffe Leagues 30, Easts 19, Labrador 17, Valley 13, University of Queensland 10, United 3, QUT 3.

LEADING GOAL SCORERS:

18  -  James McAlpine (Redcliffe Leagues)
16  -  Justin Douglas (Bulimba)
15  -  Jacob Webber (Easts)
13  -  Ryan Gibbs (Pine Rivers St Andrews)
      -  Kye Hawgood (Commercial)
      -  Ryan Kilpatrick (Pine Rivers St Andrews)
11  -  Mark Harris (Labrador)
10  -  Troy Elder (Bulimba)
      -  Brent Garske (Pine Rivers St Andrews)
      -  Alwyn Krusi (Valley)
      -  Adam McClelland (United)
  9  -  Daniel Beale (Commercial)
      -  Mitchell Grant (Bulimba)

Valley goal scorer Patrick Krusi stretches to tackle Easts' Peter Morris, who has
recently returned from playing in Europe.

Easts young gun Scott Boyde looks for support as Valley's Braden O'Callaghan
keeps watch.

Jarrod Black runs the ball out of the Easts circle, pursued by Valley duo Aaron
O'Beirne and Alwyn Krusi.

Redcliffe Leagues' Ian Schulz makes a copybook backstick tackle on United's
Sam Acutt. Photo by Fred Husted.

United's Adam McClelland on the edge of the Redcliffe Leagues circle,
pressured by Shane Kenny. Photo by Fred Husted.

United's Trent Franklin lines up a shot despite the close attention of Redcliffe
Leagues fullback Ashley Zanetti. Photo by Fred Husted.

Bulimba's Liam Brown pressured by Labrador's Joe Reardon. Photo by Fred
Husted.

Labrador's Craig Bigham tries to split the defence of Bulls pair Mitchell Grant
and Kyle Richardson. Photo by Fred Husted.

Compiled by Lee Oliver.

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