A repeat of the Hockey India League finals from last season witnessed defending champions Shrachi Bengal Tigers crash out of the race for a place in the playoffs following an ignominious 0-6 defeat at the hands of Hyderabad Toofans on Saturday (January 17). With both teams coming into the game needing a win, it was Pasha Gademan’s side who displayed their attacking prowess with Zachary Wallace being the livewire on the day.
Kalinga Lancers then guaranteed themselves a place in the playoffs with an emphatic 6-1 victory against SG Pipers in front of a vociferous home crowd at the iconic Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Cooper Burns, Craig Marais, Alexander Hendrickx and Angad Bir Singh got onto the scoresheet for the Lancers who have been the most consistent side thus far at the Hockey India League.
Talwinder Singh angled one back to Zachary Wallace, who opened the scoring for the Toofans in the second minute of the crucial Hockey India League contest against the Shrachi Tigers.
Tim Brand earned a short corner for the Toofans, their first, in the 12th minute. Jamie Carr stopped Amandeep Lakra’s drag flick, but was in no position to stop Tim Brand’s lightning strike off the rebound at the goalmouth.
Zachary Wallace scampered into the Toofans’ circle unchallenged in the 17th minute before sending a not-so-powerful but well-angled strike that beat Bikramjit Singh.
Wallace’s stunning run led to the English midfielder sending in a peach of a cross for Shilanand Lakra to tap in at the far post at the stroke of half-time. The ball, though, made its way into the goal directly off Wallace’s stick
Talwinder Singh sent in a back pass to Tim Brand, who drove the ball into the Tigers’ goal in the 39th minute. Brand added to the misery of the Tigers by completing his hat-trick in the 46th minute.
In the second match of the evening, Antoine Kina’s cross was deflected goalwards by Boby Singh Dhami, helping Cooper Burns squirt the ball into the Pipers goal in the eighth minute.
Craig Marais then deflected one into the Pipers’ net off an assist from Alexander Hendrickx in the 10th minute, with the crowd getting behind the Lancers in a big way.
Jarmanpreet Singh’s baseline play helped Ky Willott score at the far post for the Pipers off a well-directed opportunistic cross in the 11th minute.
The Lancers earned their second short corner in the 39th minute. Alexander Hendrickx slipped his drag flick through Tomas Santiago’s legs.
Angad Bir Singh picked out Boby Singh Dhami, who in turn sent in a probing cross to Cooper Burns, who scored his second goal to make it 3-1 for the Lancers in the 23rd minute.
Krishan B Pathak pulled off a triple save off a penalty corner rebound in the 25th minute. Roman Duvekot’s close-ranger whistled over the crossbar off a pass from Raj Kumar Pal in the 30th minute. Angad Bir SIngh scored from open play in the 54th minute before Hendrickx scored his second from the top of the circle a couple of minutes later.
Jay Stacy’s Kalinga Lancers have veered ahead of the rest of the pack atop the Hockey India League points table.
Hockey India League: Updated Points Table Men’s League Phase (Saturday, January 17)
Hockey India League 2024-25: Men’s League Fixtures (Sunday, January 18)
SG Pipers vs Shrachi Tigers, 5:00 pm IST, (Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar)
Kalinga Lancers vs TN Dragons, 7:30 pm IST, (Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar)
Edited by Subhashish Majumdar
