Cavemen douse the Dragons’ fire
DEFENDING CHAMPS SWEEP TO 3-0 WIN
Gladiators pull back three-goal deficit to win 6-3.
He may have been on the other side of the field, but goalkeeper and captain of the Maropeng Cavemen, Rassie Pieterse, thoroughly enjoyed the unique goal celebration at the opposite end.
With just seconds left, Thabang Modise slotted in the third goal for the defending champions to seal a 3-0 bonus point victory over the Drakensberg Dragons at the Premier Hockey League in Johannesburg on Sunday. What followed was an intricate, hand-waving performance that certainly had the crowd entertained.
“The stick becomes the fire because we’re Cavemen and we’re heating ourselves up by the fire,” explained Modise with a smile. “I’ve got new ones coming for you – but I can’t tell you what they are – it’s a surprise,” he added.
“We only see the fist pump of Ricky West these days so it was nice to see some of the others scoring goals and getting the celebrations going,” joked Pieterse.
West and Chad Futcher scored the other two goals and the Cavemen then threw everything into their defence to keep the Dragons out.
Another keeper who enjoyed a clean sheet was the Mapungubwe Mambas’ Richard Curtis, who has only allowed one goal past him in the entire tournament. He was once again in top form as his team beat the Kilimanjaro Addo Elephants 1-0 to add to the 2016 runners-up’s woes.
Meanwhile, the Namaqualand Daisies pulled off their second last-gasp win of the tournament by beating the Wineland Wings 2-1, while the Golden Gate Gladiators produced a remarkable run to come back from a 0-3 deficit to claim a 6-3 victory over the Garden Route Gazelles.
Action continues at the Randburg Astro next weekend, before the teams head into the play-offs on December 11 and 12.