A round of a national under-21 league was played at the Dunedin Ice Stadium over the weekend.
The league was set up to offer players in the under-21 age group an opportunity to remain engaged in the sport at an elite level.
The league was built around player retention and growing the game.
The first round took place over the weekend at the stadium and the second round will be played at the end of the year, at a venue yet to be decided.
The most promising young players are in three sides — Auckland, Canterbury and Southern and many players having competed for the national under-20 and under-18 sides in the past few years.
The weekend also acting as a combined training camp. Along with games, specialised training sessions took place and a national development seminar was held.
For the record, Canterbury had two wins, Auckland had one win and Southern bagged two losses.
Auckland beat Southern 2-1 in the first game on Saturday, scoring the winner in the final quarter.
Canterbury beat Auckland 7-5, as Canterbury scored four goals in the final quarter. Canterbury forward Jacob Carey scored five goals in the game.
Canterbury beat Otago 5-4 after it had led 3-0 at the end of the second period. Otago scored four goals in the final period, including a Noah Gregory hat trick.
