Hockey India League: Kalinga Lancers go top of the table

Kalinga Lancers had a terrible outing last season when they finished sixth after the group stage with just three wins in regular time. Despite having a great team on paper, their season never really took off, and they missed the play-offs.Things, however, look much better this time as they rose to the top of the table thanks to their shootout win against HIL GC at Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday. Currently, they have eight points from three matches, and on Sunday it was their goalkeeper, Jed Snowden, who came off the bench to lead them to a 3-1 victory via penalty shootouts after the match finished 1-1 in regulation time.Snowden, who hails from Australia and played for their Under-21 team, kept out shots from Simon Yorston, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay and Ajeet Yadav to get the job done for the Lancers. Only Gurjot Singh was able to score past him during the shootouts.As for the Lancers’ strikers, Cooper Burns, Arthur van Doren and Dilpreet Singh scored their three goals. HIL GC goalkeeper James Mazarelo kept out two shots but, in the end, it was not enough, and they are in second spot with 7 points from as many matches.Earlier, Ajeet put HIL GC in the lead four minutes into the second quarter. Captain Hardik Singh orchestrated the move from the midfield before Ajeet tapped in his effort from close range to score the opener.Almost immediately, Lancers got back into the match, winning as many as six penalty corners over a span of just two minutes. It was Belgian Alexander Hendrickx who eventually found the target in the 23rd minute to make it 1-1. He went left of Mazarelo and, despite his best efforts, the ball sounded the board.As the match went on, Hendrickx again had a chance to score for the Lancers from another PC in the third quarter, but this time Mazarelo kept it out with his left foot. He, however, could not carry on his heroics in the shootouts as Lancers finally grabbed the win, thanks to Snowden.Royals earn first win: Later in the day, Ranchi Royals secured their first win of the tournament as they defeated defending champions Shrachi Bengal Tigers 4-1, scoring all four of their goals in the final six minutes. Skipper Tom Boon scored twice (54’, 60’), while Mandeep Singh (56’) and Lachlan Sharp (58’) found the net once each as Royals got all the three points in front of the home crowd. As for Bengal Tigers, they took the lead through a strike from Ketan Kushwaha in the 26th minute.