HC Melbourne Run Riot in Canberra: 10-2 Men, 2-0 Women, and Top Spot Goes South
Friday night in Canberra was billed as unbeaten against unbeaten, first against second. It ended as a statement win for the team from Melbourne, twice over.
The HC Melbourne men won 10-2 against the Canberra Chill at EPC Solar Hockey Stadium, according to the official match record, ending the Chill’s perfect start to the season in brutal fashion. Nathan Ephraums scored three field goals and converted two of them, Duncan Jackson scored twice, and Cooper Burns scored twice, once from a penalty corner. Canberra’s goals came from Jake Staines and Dooley, but by then the game had long since gone. The champions, who trailed 4-2 with twelve minutes left in the Melbourne derby last round before scoring six late goals to win 8-5, look like a team that simply doesn’t believe in losing positions anymore.
The women made it a clean sweep. HC Melbourne beat Canberra 2-0 in the late game, with Zali Ward scoring from a field goal in the 17th minute and Sophie Murphy adding a penalty-corner goal in the 37th. Both sides had arrived level on six points, one win behind the unbeaten Perth Thundersticks, so the result shakes up the women’s race too: Melbourne move clear of Canberra, and the Chill’s first home defeat of the season is a heavy one to carry into the weekend.
What it means is simple. The men’s ladder has a new shape at the top, with the back-to-back champions now holding the momentum and Canberra needing to regroup fast. And for the rest of Round 4, the focus shifts to Hobart and Adelaide on Saturday, where the Tassie Tigers host the Brisbane Blaze and the Adelaide Fire host NSW Pride, with Blake Govers chasing a fourth straight scoring game. Canberra will be watching those results closely. Friday hurt.
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