Cardinia Storm had another strong weekend after resuming their hockey competitions after a short break, with two wins and a draw.
The week off saw multiple Cardinia players and coaches represent the Southern Sharks over five days at the Junior State Championships, recording some good results across the board.
Some players even had the opportunity to compete for medals and the experience for juniors like Lilly Kelly was invaluable – she earned selection into the Hockey Vic Junior Academy Squad.
As regular competition returned, the Women’s Metro 1 South side recorded a 5-0 win over Monash due to them having an insufficient number of players.
The Men’s Metro 2 South side played a thrilling draw against top-four opponent Collegians, with the final result reading 1-1.
Cardinia drew first blood early in the match when Harkeerat Oberoi found himself in a great spot to score an easy tap-in goal.
But Collegians soon responded with an equaliser, courtesy of a rocket on a penalty corner which narrowly got past goalkeeper Darren Rowe.
It was a coming-of-age performance for young gun Sammy Albrecht, who let his skills do the talking.
His development in the men’s hockey competition has been significant this season, and the Collegians had no answers for his impressive output
The draw keeps Cardinia Storm within reach of the top four, as it looks to continue picking up momentum towards the end of the season.
On Sunday, the Men’s Metro 1 South team faced Southern United and despite the Storm going into the clash as favourites, the lowly United side gave it their all.
Storm controlled the clash from the outset, but some strong defensive efforts meant they were unable to put a score on the board.
The only goal of the match came in the third quarter when Scott Burnett found the back of the net.
It was a good reward for the many chances and opportunities that Cardinia had created early in the match.
The victory provided a much-needed three points and helped Storm close the gap on Collegians who sit one spot above them, in first place.
