Two of the Peel region’s up and coming hockey stars have returned from the under 21s National Hockey Championships in Wollongong with medals around their necks.
18-year-olds Marshall Puzey and Bree Johnson were some of the youngest members in their WA teams, but performed admirably on the big stage.
The men’s competition was a closely fought event.
At the end of the pool games WA, Victoria and Queensland were level on points and goal difference, with WA and the Vics playing off for the bronze.
The match was tightly contested with excellent defence from both sides.
At the end of full time the score was drawn at one-all, sending the match into overtime to be decided by a dramatic one on one shootout.
Five players from each side competed individually, one at a time against the goalkeeper to try to score.
WA was able to conquer their Victorian counterparts and take out the 2017 bronze.
The women’s competition saw WA play an excellent brand of hockey to work their way into the gold medal match against NSW.
The final followed a similar pattern to the WA’s men’s game, producing a tight affair with WA having to claw back to a goal level during the second quarter.
But NSW responded and retook their lead, winning the game 2-1, resulting in Johnson and WA’s women taking out the silver.
Puzey and Johnson are currently members of the Hockey WA high performance program based in Perth.
It provides specialist hockey training for selected athletes.
They are also members of the Peel Regional Academy of Sport, which supports elite athletes from the Peel region in various sports to enable them to complete some of their training close to home rather than having to travel to Perth.