Strykers edge out Lions
By Tushar Dutt
Pune Strykers edged out Karnataka Lions 3-2 in their World Series Hockey match at Major Dhyanchand Stadium in Pimpri on Monday.
Pune opened their account early, when Damandeep Singh tried to shoot from the dreaded spot, but goalie Devesh Chauhan, in an attempt to avert the danger, stepped out of the goalpost and deflected the ball. Taking advantage of the situation, Roshan Minz, who was standing diagonally right to the goalpost, struck a hard one in to put his team ahead.
After a series of attacks, Karnataka finally got a penalty corner in the 23rd minute. The strike was taken by Karnataka’s penalty specialist, Len Aiyappa, but his hit was blocked by Pune’s Vikram Yadav’s shoulder. This called for a penalty stroke, which Aiyappa converted.
Pune went up again through Lungile Tsolekile’s strike in the 46th minute, but the lead was nullified in the next minute by Karnataka’s Naveen Kumar.
Pune earned a penalty corner late in the match, but it was wasted by receiver Yadav, creating chaos in the D area. In the commotion, Damandeep found some room and hit the ball straight between the bars to give his team the much-needed lead. The goal settled the issue.