Both Otago teams finished the National Hockey Championship on a positive note.
The men finished fifth and the women seventh as the tournament wrapped up in Christchurch on Saturday.
Otago’s men, champions in 2022 and 2023 and bronze medallists last year, did not quite have the week they were hoping for but they at least ended with a bang, beating Northland 6-3.
Northland took an early lead through a penalty stroke but Otago dominated the middle stages of the game.
Nick Parata equalised from a penalty corner but Northland quickly went ahead 2-1, before two goals in the space of two minutes from Jack Cotton put Otago in front for the first time.
Finlay Neale made it 4-2, Parata’s second made it 5-2, and Cotton completed his hat-trick two minutes before the final whistle, leaving Northland just enough time to grab a consolation.
Canterbury thumped North Harbour 5-0 in the men’s final thanks to a Sam Lints hat-trick.
The Otago women saved their best till last as they smashed Wellington 5-0 in the seventh-eighth playoff to ensure their spot in the top tier for another year.
Chloe Donaldson and Nina Murphy scored within 60sec of each other, and Tess Jopp made it 3-0 at halftime.
Claudia Roberts added a fourth and Beth O’Donovan became the fifth different scorer when she fired home from a penalty corner in the 45th minute.
The scoreline in the women’s final was also 5-0, Auckland proving far too strong for Manawatu.
Central Otago finished sixth in the tier three men’s tournament after their 1-1 draw with Wellington B was followed by a 4-1 shootout loss.
Josh Stevens scored Central’s goal in normal time.
The Central Otago women were beaten 3-1 by Tasman in their tier three final. Sophia Kersten scored for Central.
