By Jonty Ralphsmith
Cardinia is one game off guaranteeing promotion from the Men’s Metro 2 South competition.
In the inaugural season of the men’s side and just the second season in the club’s history, the Storm have been dominant in 2024, losing just one game for the season and sitting four points clear in first spot.
The minor premiers in the competition are guaranteed promotion for next season, with Cardinia’s latest victory a 9-0 win over Mornington Cerberus.
Stunningly, all goals came from the field and all forwards hit the scoreboard.
The Storm was determined to come out firing against a team that took a point off them earlier in the season, Gareth Ventom’s four goals lethal in the outcome.
He scored two in the first quarter which propelled the Storm and gave them momentum against an underprepared opposition.
“He’s got good decision making and really good finishing ability,” coach Peter Turner said of Ventom.
“He knows where to run and put the ball and he can score on both sides so it’s a really good weapon for us to have upfront.
“We used the space, linked up well and played good team hockey.”
Given the margin blew out early, Cardinia used it as a match to get valuable minutes into the bench players ahead of finals.
The women also had a victory, getting up 3-0 against eighth-placed Casey, with Zena Nicholas, Teejay Peterson and Lauren Walsh all finding the back of the net.
The result keeps the Storm’s dim finals hopes alive but their destiny is out of their control.
