Tigers Men Storm Home as Women Share the Spoils with Blaze

The Tassie Tigers women played out a 3–3 draw with the Brisbane Blaze in their Round 4 One Active Hockey One League clash, before the visitors secured the bonus point with a 2–0 shootout win.

A cagey opening quarter produced few clear goalscoring opportunities, with neither side able to break the deadlock. Evie Dalton produced a pair of quality stops to keep the visitors at bay, but the Blaze eventually found a way past the in-form goalkeeper through former Tiger Steph Kershaw in the 26th minute, taking a 1–0 lead into half-time.

The Tigers’ response came against the run of play in the third quarter, when New Zealand import Holly Pearson prodded home a close-range rebound after compatriot Paige Blake’s shot was denied by Jordan Bliss. The penalty corner routine had taken the ball outside the circle, giving Pearson the opportunity to add a conversion. She made no mistake, patiently waiting out the goalkeeper before sliding the ball home to put the hosts ahead 2–1.

The double strike sparked the Tigers’ strongest period of the contest, as they enjoyed the better of the play and threatened to extend their lead late in the third term.

But momentum shifted in the final quarter when Ambrosia Malone scored and converted to restore Brisbane’s advantage. A sustained five-minute spell of Blaze pressure followed, with the visitors winning a string of penalty corners and keeping the Tigers firmly on the back foot. The home side’s defence held firm under siege, keeping the deficit at a single goal.

That resilience set the stage for a late counterpunch. The Tigers won a penalty stroke, which Yvette Biekart calmly dispatched to level the scores at 3–3 with three minutes remaining. Paige Blake was denied on the ensuing conversion attempt, and neither side could find a winner before the final whistle.

Bliss then kept out all four Tigers attempts in the shootout, helping the Blaze claim a 2–0 win and the bonus point.

A four-goal final quarter saw the Tassie Tigers men storm home to defeat the Brisbane Blaze 4–1, taking a major step towards securing a finals berth.

For three quarters, the Tigers were left frustrated by a resolute Blaze defence in a tightly contested encounter where clear chances were hard to come by.

The only goal of the opening three terms came in the 12th minute, when Kookaburras sharpshooter Joel Rintala found a way past Magnus McCausland. The Tigers goalkeeper responded with a strong pad save to deny the conversion, limiting the damage to a single goal.

The Tigers shaded the contest for much of the next two quarters, enjoying more possession and circle entries but struggling to turn their attacking opportunities into meaningful tests for the Brisbane goalkeeper.

With vital points on the line, the hosts lifted the pressure at the start of the final quarter and finally found their breakthrough. Lightning-fast hands from Lachie Rogers set up Ollie Stebbings to sweep home, extending his scoring streak to three consecutive matches. Stebbings then converted his one-on-one opportunity to give the Tigers a 2–1 lead.

With momentum firmly in their favour, the Tigers continued to press. Four minutes later, some individual brilliance from Ruben Hoey created an opening for Ehren Hazell, who fired home a superb first-time finish to extend the advantage.

Hazell then converted to make it 4–1, taking his season tally to seven goals and giving the Tigers breathing room with seven minutes remaining.

The hosts were untroubled from there, closing out the match professionally to secure a victory that lifted them back into second place on the ladder after four rounds.