The men’s hockey teams of Lithgow are occupying the first two positions on the premier league hockey ladder after dominating round three of the competition on Saturday, May 19.
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Panthers and Zig Zag men secured strong wins at home and away coming up against Bathurst St Pat’s and Orange Wanderers respectively.
Slamming premier league heavyweights St Pat’s with a 6-3 win, Panthers coach Trent MacDonald said the team was not taking anything for granted.
“We always work hard every game and we know that all the teams step up when we play them,” he said.
“It’s only round three so we are not looking at that [the ladder] at all.”
Panthers’ match up with St Pat’s on Saturday saw striker Brandon Horner chalk up a personal tally of six goals, all but one scored in the first half.
“Brandon Horner was just unreal from the start. We took them by surprise and it was 5-1 from half time,” MacDonald said.
Panthers’ Tom Piggott and Nic Milne got onto the scoreboard in the second half, building a solid lead on the opposition.
MacDonald said St Pat’s would still be a force to be reckoned with in 2018.
“I’d never rule them out they’ve always been at the top,” he said.
“They are a great side. They played a lot of young guys on Saturday, which would have been good for them.”
He said Panthers players, like Horner and Milne, who have been completing extra training in Sydney were bringing the team’s performance up with them.
“They are very classy players, having them fit and going picks up the young guys,” he said.
Zig Zag v Wanderers
The Orange Wanderers, a casualty of an 11-1 loss to the Panthers last round, went on to host Zig Zag on Saturday.
Wanderers led for two small periods during the first half ending on a 2-2 draw, but Zig Zag strengthened their play in the final half to secure a win.
After back-and-forth opening stages the Wanderers found the back of the net in the 18th minute, but the lead lasted just one minute as Luke Sheppeard equalised for Zig Zag.
Wanderers skipper Adam Skelton pushed his side back into the lead in the 24th minute but again, Zig Zag hit back straight away, this time through Eli Shirt.
So it remained until Zig Zag’s Ben Redding laced one past Wanderers at the 38-minute mark.
Zac Sharp found the back of the net six minutes later to secure a victory.
Zig Zag manager Brian Kelly said his team’s run had improved since opening the season with a loss to the Panthers.
“I am happy with how we are going considering the start of the year,” he said.
“But we’ve got a bye this week so that stops you from gaining too much momentum.”
Panthers will be playing at home on Saturday at 1.30pm facing Bathurst Souths, who they trounced in last year’s grand finals.
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