Black Sticks give ex-coach rude awakening
Mark Hager’s reunion with the Black Sticks has not gone to plan for the former New Zealand coach.
The women’s Black Sticks upset the Hager-coached Great Britain 5-1 in their FIH Pro League match yesterday as international hockey returned to Christchurch for the first time since Porritt Park was destroyed in the 2011 earthquakes.
Hager, 54, resigned as Black Sticks coach in January.
He had spent almost a decade trying to orchestrate wins for the Black Sticks but had just three days with the Great Britain team before his first match in charge.
Captain Stacey Michelsen was a late withdrawal from the match but the New Zealand side, now coached by Hager’s former assistant Sean Dancer, were too classy for the reigning Olympic champions.
Black Sticks striker Olivia Merry scored the first women’s hat-trick in FIH Pro League matches as she helped last year’s Commonwealth Games champions to an impressive victory in front of a sellout crowd.
She put New Zealand in front early in the first quarter following some classy work from Kelsey Smith.
Giselle Ansley levelled the scores from a penalty stroke after the ball made contact with the arm of Black Sticks defender Brooke Neal from a penalty corner.
The goal came when the Black Sticks were a player short with Kelsey Smith handed a green card shortly before the penalty corner.
Ella Gunson grabbed the lead back for the Black Sticks from a penalty corner in the second quarter. Merry also opened the scoring in the second half when she won a turnover inside the circle and slammed the ball into the goal to stretch the Black Sticks’ lead to 3-1.
And she made it 4-1 from a penalty corner in the final quarter to cement the Black Sticks’ first win in the FIH Pro League at their third attempt.
Amy Robinson scored a late goal to blow the score out further for the Black Sticks.
Neal, Smith and Merry were all standouts for the Black Sticks.
Earlier, the men’s Black Sticks suffered a hefty 6-2 loss at the hands of Great Britain.
The Black Sticks were outplayed and out-hustled by an energetic Great Britain side.
The humbling loss was an unfortunate way for Black Sticks midfielder Nic Woods to bring up his 100th test match in the black shirt.
A three-goal second-quarter blitz from Sam Ward, Phil Roper and Adam Dixon – all from penalty corners – put Great Britain in a commanding position up 3-0 at halftime. Nic Woods and Hugo Inglis scored for the home side after the break but Great Britain were too good.
Women: Black Sticks 5
Men: Great Britain 6
Sticks 2