Shootout success gives Alpiners double triumph

The Alpiners women celebrate one of Tessa Reid’s two goals against the Falcons at Nunweek Park in Christchurch on Saturday. PHOTO: JOHN DAVIDSON / WWW.BWMEDIA.CO.NZ

Double the glory for the Alpiners.

Both the men’s and the women’s sides recorded wins on Saturday.

The Alpiners men remain unbeaten — just — in the Premier Hockey League.

Their game against the Falcons in Christchurch had to be settled with a shootout.

The score was locked 2-2 at fulltime.

Sam Lints opened the scoring late in the first quarter.

There was a goalmouth scramble and the ball was shifted to Lints, who smashed a reverse stick shot into the roof of the net.

He slotted the field conversion and the Alpiners led 2-0, somewhat against the run of play.

The Falcons responded through Jacob Smith. He trapped a cross and pummelled it into the corner.

He could not convert the field conversion.

Louis Beckert was dynamite in goal for the understrength Alpiners, who were missing 11 Black Sticks.

But just before the halftime break, Javahn Jones drilled a goal from a messy penalty corner.

Neither side could break the deadlock in the second half, so it went to a shootout.

The Alpiners missed the first two but converted the last three to win the shootout 3-1.

Beckert played a key role.

He is so athletic in goal and literally took one shot on the chin. It was a save, though.

The Mavericks thumped the Tridents 8-3 in the other men’s game.

After four rounds, the Alpiners (14 points) lead the competition standings from the Mavericks (12) with the Tridents (4) and Falcons (1) trailing.

The Alpiners women produced their best performance of the campaign, beating the Falcons 3-1.

The Falcons were previously unbeaten and have set the benchmark this season.

But the Alpiners pounced early.

Tessa Reid slammed in a drag flick from a penalty corner.

But the joy was short-lived. Jessica Kelly responded with a superb reverse stick shot for the top of the circle.

Reid popped in a penalty stroke in the opening minute of the second quarter.

And just before the halftime break, a deflection from a penalty corner fell nicely for Annabelle Schneideman and she slapped it in.

In the other women’s game, the Mavericks beat the Tridents in a shootout 2-1.

The Falcons remain at the top of the standings on 12 points. The Alpiners have climbed to second (8). The Mavericks (6) and Tridents (5) are still in touch.