Tridents Women Run Riot 7-0, Mavericks Men Hit Back 3-1 in Auckland PHL Opener
Round 1 of New Zealand’s Premier Hockey League finished with a split in Auckland on Sunday — a 7-0 hammering one way, and a 3-1 upset the other.
The Tridents women were ruthless in the early game at Lloyd Elsmore Park, putting seven past the Mavericks without reply. The Mavericks men answered in the late game, beating the Tridents 3-1 to make sure the visitors didn’t go home empty-handed.
The league posted both results on its official Instagram scoreboard after Sunday’s Auckland double-header. No scorers were published with the scores, so the goals stay unattributed for now.
What it means
Seven goals is a statement, whichever way you look at it. The Tridents women have set the early pace in the women’s competition, and after a 3-2 win for the Alpiners women in Napier on Saturday, the Auckland side have made sure nobody forgets about them.
The men’s result matters just as much. The Mavericks went to Auckland and beat the Tridents on their own turf, 3-1. That’s the kind of away win that counts double in a short league season, and it means the Tridents men start their campaign with a home defeat to chew on.
Round 1 opened on Saturday with the Alpiners men edging the Falcons 3-2 in Napier, Mason scoring a treble, and the Alpiners women also won 3-2 in Napier. Two rounds of results in, and the league already looks wide open.
What’s next
Both sides will want to back these results up when the league continues. The Tridents women have laid down a marker that the rest of the competition will have seen, and the Mavericks men have shown they can win away from home. For our money, the women’s race just got a lot more interesting — a 7-0 on opening weekend tends to focus minds.
