We can improve further, insists Pegasus captain
PEGASUS co-captain Michelle Harvey claims there is more to come from her side after a 3-1 comeback win over Railway Union in Dublin on Saturday saw them move three points clear in the EY Irish Hockey League.
The former international is convinced Pegasus can lift silverware after losing in the EYHL play-off semi-finals and the Irish Senior Cup final last season.
Harvey said: “It’s great to be sitting top with four wins from four, but I firmly believe our best is yet to come.”
Sarah Hawkshaw gave Railway the lead but Irish World Cup star Shirley McCay levelled with a penalty corner conversion.
Kate Gourley made it 2-1 before Harvey scrambled in number three from another set-piece.
Belfast Harlequins beat Muckross 2-0 with goals from Gemma Frazer and Rachel Johnston but Ards were unable to make it a clean sweep for the Ulster sides as they went down 5-0 to Loreto.
In the Ulster Premier League, newly-promoted Lisnagarvey are now top after a 4-3 win over Banbridge, while Lurgan beat Rainey 2-0 and Queen’s beat Mossley 5-0 with the other two top-flight fixtures ending all-square.
EY IHL: Railway 1 (S Hawkshaw) Pegasus
3 (S McCay, K Gourley, M Harvey); Belfast H’quins 2 (G Frazer, R Johnston) Muckross 0; Old Alex 0 UCD 1 (E Curran); Cork H’quins 1 (C Sargent) Pembroke 2 (L Noble, M Horan); Loreto 5 (S Clarke, H Mulcahy, S Evans, S O’Brien, S Torrans) Ards 0
Ulster Premier: Ballymena 0 Randalstown 0; Lisnagarvey 4 (D Axon 2, R Chambers, C Gillard) Banbridge 3 (S McCullough, R Kerr 2) Lurgan 2 (S McClure, C Johnston) Rainey 0; Mossley 0 Queen’s 5 (E McStea, K Ferguson, A Jebb, J McMaster 2); Ulster Elks 1 (L Paul) Dungannon 1 (L Kennedy).
Senior One: Castle 1 (L Kirker) CI 3 (L Mercer, L Ternahan); Omagh 4 (E Shortt 3, L Brunt) Armagh 1; Portadown 2 (K Pringle, C Dunn) Coleraine 1 (C McNickle); Priorians 1 (E Allen) North Down 1 (R Murphy); Raphoe 4 (W Patterson 2, Z Tinney, E Harper) Club KV 2 (J Orr, J Moore). EUGENE Magee came to Banbridge’s rescue again when he scored a dramatic last minute winner against Monkstown yesterday to keep his team top of the EY Irish Hockey League.
Magee, certain to be named in Ireland’s World Cup panel on Tuesday, converted a penalty corner with virtually the last hit of the game to earn Bann a 3-2 success which gives them a four point cushion.
It was another roller coaster for Bann fans — they watched Magee fire them into the lead in the first quarter only to see the Dublin side hit back through Gareth Watkins and Andy Ward to lead 2-1 at the interval. AN eight-game winning streak finally came to an end for the Belfast Giants as they were defeated 3-2 at the Guildford Spectrum by the Guildford Flames in the Elite League.
After winning their opening two of the three game weekend matches against the Milton Keynes Lightning, Adam Keefe’s men missed their chance to go top of the table as they were snuffed out by the Flames.
Swedish defenceman Calle Ackered was Belfast’s tormentor-in-chief, the Flames blueliner scoring twice — including the game winner — and adding an assist as the fresh Guildford roster came out with the two points.
It was discipline trouble that cost the Giants most as they conceded three times on the penalty kill, their defence unable to keep the dangerous Flames special teams quiet enough.
After conceding just two goals across the two wins over Milton Keynes, the Giants stuck with starting netminder Tyler Beskorowany between the pipes for the third straight day, while Guildford countered with Canadian goalie Chris Carrozzi.
The effects of three games in three days seemed to have an effect on the Giants early as the Flames controlled the first ten minutes, and Adam Keefe’s (right) side fell behind to a well worked goal from Kruise Reddick at 6:19.
On Guildford’s second powerplay of the game, the forward received a pass from the dangerous Ackered and his short-side shot managed to beat Beskorowany at his near post.
But when Guildford ran into penalty trouble of their own, the Giants were lethal in striking back and levelled the game at 12:35, the visitors working a two-on-one powerplay opportunity that allowed Darcy Murphy to finish.
A highly physical start to the second period saw Belfast have a couple of powerplay chances to go ahead, however their special teams couldn’t come through, and the Flames made them pay for their wastefulness.
With Jonathan Ferland in the penalty box, the hosts struck again on the powerplay, this time it was Ackered who scored the goal, unleashing one of his trademark slapshots from the blueline that beat Beskorowany at 35:20.
If Ackered’s goal was trademark, then so was Kyle Baun’s equaliser at 37:38 to make it a level game going into the third, the forward battling away in a scramble at the front of the net and jamming the puck home under the pads of Carrozzi. A tense third period saw both sides have some good looks at the net, but both netminders were in good form and kept the respective offenses at bay.
But once again it would be the powerplay unit of Guildford and that man Ackered who would decide it at 55:25 when Kendall McFaull took a needless hooking penalty.
That gave the hosts the man advantage and, when the puck fell to Ackered on the shortside again, the Swede made no mistake in rifling home for the winner.