Mysore (Karnataka), 21 April 2015: Playing for the Finale berth of the 5th Junior National Hockey Championship 2015 (Men) – Division A, the semi finals saw Hockey Punjab taking on Hockey Himachal where the former beat the later in all departments to claim the Finale spot tomorrow. In the second semifinal between Hockey Odisha and Hockey Haryana, it was Hockey Odisha which emerged victorious after a hard fought battle and a score of 3-1 in their favour.
The fans have a reason to rejoice as all semi-final and Finals of the National Championship matches this year will be telecast LIVE on DD Sports.
The first semi-final clash between Hockey Punjab and Hockey Himachal proved good news for Hockey Punjab as they delivered in all departments to advance to the Finals of the 5th Junior National Hockey Championship 2015 (Men) –Division A. Showcasing the intent to win from the word go, Hockey Punjab scored in the third minute of the match as the penalty corner was slammed into the nets by Harmanpreet Singh leaving the opponents stunned. Trying to get back from the early set-back Hockey Himachal tried to score but failed in their attempts as Hockey Punjab’s defence proved strong. The team doubled the lead in the 10th minute when Harmanpreet Singh yet again capitalized on a penalty corner. With a lead of 2-0 at half time, Hockey Punjab started the second half with an edge. They added another dent on Hockey Himachal as they registered their third goal in the 43rd minute when Simranjit Singh’s field effort found the nets. Unable to capitalize on opportunities, Hockey Himachal lost the game and a chance to advance to the Finals.
The second semi-final match between Hockey Odisha and and Hockey Haryana was a complete dry run in the first half as the defence of both the teams were alert, not allowing any single opportunity to be cashed on by the opponents. With the second half being the crucial deciding session, it was Hockey Odisha who finally broke the jinx as they converted the penalty corner in the 53rd minute by Suman Kujur. Taking the goal as a cue, the team scored within two , again through Sumna Kujur converting the penalty corner. Trailing the game 0-2, Hockey Haryana registered their first goal in the 56th minute when Santa Singh charged into the D and deflected the ball into the nets. While Hockey Haryana tried to equalize the game, Hockey Odisha dented their spirits as they scored their third and final goal in the 63rd minute and going on to win the match 3-1.
Results of the day-
Semi-Final 1 Hockey Punjab 2 Harmanpreet Singh (3min –PC, 10 min –PC) Simranjit Singh (43min-FG) vs Hockey Himachal 0
Semi-Final 2 Hockey Odisha 3 Suman Kujur (53 min-PC, 55 min-PC), Prakash Barla (63min-FG) vs Hockey Haryana 1 Santa Singh (56 min-FG)