WITH a number of key players out through injury, the Lithgow Panthers travelled to Bathurst to take on the speedy Souths side and continued on their winning way with a 5-3 win to keep their undefeated men’s premier league hockey record intact.
The gap between the Workies Panthers and the rest of the field widens with the closest team to them being Bathurst St Patricks.
The Panthers are sitting on top on 62 while Pats are back on 44 and then there is another big gap back to third placed Zig Zag on 27.
Bathurst Souths went into final minutes of the break leading 2-0 through goals to Dylan Smith and Jono Bailey and were confident there was going to be a boilover.
With 12 minutes left on the clock, the Panthers went into overdrive when B.J Hemmy slotted home a shot after his first attempt was cleared off the line by Souths’ goalie Bryce Hitchcock.
The two sides went to the break with Souths still believing a major upset was on the cards.
The Panthers showed in a 20-minute period in the second stanza why they are hot favourites to take out the competition with a blistering four-goal burst to snatch any thought of a win away from Souths.
Souths knew Lithgow would come out strong in the second half, but could not do a lot about it as Brandon Horner continued his scoring feats with another two and Trent MacDonald and Hemmy again all found the back of the net in quick time.
The goal onslaught earned the Panthers yet another bonus point for scoring five or more goals.
It was a big effort by Trent MacDonald who only seven days earlier was helped from the field with a twisted knee in his game against Zig Zag.
The Workmens Club best and fairest points went to Nick Milne 3, Matt Writer-Keegan Craig 2 and BJ Hemmy 1.
The Lithgow Tyre Services coach’s award went to: Peter Milne.
Scoreboard: WORKIES PANTHERS 5 (Brandon Horner 2, BJ Hemmy 2 and Trent MacDonald) def BATHURST SOUTHS 3 (, Jono Bailey, Jono Cole and Dylan Smith).
