Tassie U21s win title in penalty shootout

TASMANIA has created history, clinching its first men’s national under-21 hockey title after a dramatic penalty shootout victory against Victoria in Sydney.

Tasmania was trailing 2-0 in the shootout before forward Gobindraj Gill converted his penalty to keep them alive.

Tasmanian goalkeeper Mitch Nicholson denied Victoria’s final two attempts either side of teammate Hayden Beltz’s conversion.

The stage was then set for Oliver Smith to coolly round the Victorian goalkeeper and secure an incredible 3-2 win.

Assistant coach Ben Read hailed the national champions’ confidence and trust in themselves for being able to rise against the odds.

“This group of players had the belief right from the beginning that they could beat anyone, and they were diligent in every facet of their preparation from pretournament and throughout this gruelling week,” Read said amid celebrations. “All of these guys have an insatiable desire to succeed and I’m incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved this week.

“This reminds me so much of when the Tassie Tigers won the Australian Hockey League in 2014, with Eddie Ockenden as captain and player of the tournament.”

Rank outsiders entering the quarter-final stage, Tasmania had earlier defeated NSW in a penalty shootout before advancing 4-3 against the ACT in a tough semi-final.

The final was a tense affair, with Victoria scoring early in the first quarter before Tasmanian skipper Jack Welch levelled scores 1-1 midway through the third quarter from the penalty spot.

Before accepting the tournament shield and gold medal, Welch was awarded the player of the tournament award and heads into a series for Australia A against Malaysia aiming to push for an international debut.

Tassie’s under-21 women’s side ended their tournament with a 7-3 loss to WA.