Perth Thundersticks men and women secure silver and bronze in Hockey One Finale

The Perth Thundersticks men and women have secured second and third spot respectively in this year’s Hockey One season finale in a thrilling climax in Bendigo, Victoria.

The women’s side dominated in the third-place playoff against Hockey Club Melbourne, securing a 3-0 victory to take home third spot in this year’s season.

The Thundersticks opened the scoring early on with Penny Squibb claiming and scoring a penalty stroke, with Georgina Dowd scoring the conversion – her second score of the season.

Karri Somerville rounded out the strong efforts, scoring a penalty corner just before the main break.

Women’s Thundersticks captain Kyra White was pleased for her side’s ability to be able to cap off the season with a win.

“The win is a bit bittersweet after our loss yesterday, but as a group we are really pleased to come out and secure the victory to claim third place,” White said.

“We did not change a whole lot in our game plan from yesterday as we thought we played well; it was just a matter of making sure we finished our opportunities which we were able to do today.”

After a long-fought season, WA hockey has showcased its ability to compete with the best, an ability White is proud of.

“It has been a long time since both teams have finished this high and we have made sure to cheer each other on and continue to build a strong culture – I am super proud of both teams,” White said.

“We have had a fantastic time here in Bendigo and it has been awesome to cap off this year’s Hockey One season with WA heavily represented and I am super keen to see the league grow in the years to come.”

The men claimed a silver medal position in a hard-fought Grand Final match against the NSW Pride, with a lone score and conversion to Pride’s Ky Willott the difference in their 2-0 loss.

It was all Thundersticks early on in the piece but a vicious tomahawk and conversion from Ky Willott opened the scoring for the Pride in the second quarter, with neither side unable to score until the final siren.

Thundersticks star Tim Geers said the loss was difficult to swallow after a strong effort from the men who were unable to capitalise on their scoring opportunities.

 “It is a bit disappointing to not take home the trophy as I think the boys played the way we wanted to and we were quite strong, we were just unable to convert our scoring chances,” Geers said.

“Unfortunately we were just unable to hit the scoreboard, but as an overall performance, I was pleased with how we performed today.”

The Grand Final berth caps off a strong year for WA hockey, with Geers excited for what’s to come in the future.

“I think WA hockey in general is in a really strong position, we have made a heap of progress and have had a lot of success from juniors all the way up to the elite level this year,” Geers said.

“The really encouraging part is we are a young group and the emerging talent in our side, mixed with our experienced boys, gives us a good platform to succeed and I am sure we can make it back to this position next year.”
 
FULL SCORES
Perth Thundersticks Women 3 defeat Hockey Club Melbourne 0
Goals:
Perth Thundersticks – Penny Squibb (3’), Georgina Dowd (3’), Karri Somerville (25’)
 
Perth Thundersticks Men 0 defeated by NSW Pride 2
Goals:
Ky Willott – (23’) (23’)