Hal High varsity Field Hockey girls rumble to 3-0 win

Field Hockey team rolls out a new season - with same vibe

Jillian Mayhew (above) was an integral part of Hal High's offense.

By Terrance Gavan - Managing Editor PTE

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Reprinted from the County Voice

When the tide is flowing it’s hard to stem.

   The levees crack and it all rolls in.

   The Red Hawk senior girls’ field hockey rolled like Fundy with a following wind last Wednesday (Sept 22) at their home opener versus Holy Cross Secondary.

    The varsity Hawks maneuvered the ball over, through and past a valiant but outgunned Holy Cross squad.

   Hal High held sway but were held scoreless for a good part of the game, suffering through a long drought of good try-no finish hockey before finally managing their first goal.

   They followed that first strike with a second and then sealed the deal with another second half goal winning 3-0 and popping the cork on a brand new season.

   In other action both Red Hawk and Hurricane B-side teams played to a scoreless draw in the afternoon’s second contest.

   The nucleus of the Hal High senior team competed in the Ontario Summer Games during the summer, some under the tutelage of new Hawks head coach and league convener Caley Sisson.

   In a chat just before the season began Sisson said she was pretty confident that her team would be able to continue the huge successes they’ve realized in the past two seasons under now retired coach Paul Morissette.

   In pure terms of quality possession, shots, and time with the ball, the Hawks were clearly the superior team.

   However, as the Hawks can now attest, there is sometimes no solving the puzzle of the hot goalie, an ingredient that kept the Hurricanes in the game for the balance of the match.

   However, all that coaching, experience and talent finally paid dividends for the Hawks with that first goal.

   That seemed to assuage some growing concern on the part of the Hawks’ front side.

   With that goal the sticks relaxed in the hands and resulted in an onslaught of offensive pressure.

   Several penalty situations in the second half bore no fruit for the Hawks, but that extended front side attack balanced by a tenacious defense served to chip away at the Hurricanes’ reserve.

   Lindsey Pogue Grace Diezel, and Lucy Belli scored and assists went to Jess Bishop, Diezel, and Sandy Griffith.

   In the second game, Mr. Merritt’s B-side Hawks played another stellar ball-control game.

   Despite controlling the ball for a good portion of the game on a very rain-soaked field, both teams left the pitch with no damage done and a nil-nil score.

   The senior girls travelled to CSS for an afternoon contest yesterday and will play at home versus Thomas Aquinas (may be subject to change) at 3 pm on Oct. 5.