Running Rebels edged out Smurfs 1-0 in the final of the Hikers Hockey Club’s second annual House and Land tournament recently.
The four-a-side tournament, was played over three nights at the St. Stanislaus College Forum and attracted six teams drawn from the membership of the club.
After the round robin stage, Running Rebels, Hot Skulls, Smurfs, L.M.F.A.O., Hype and Black Hawks had all advanced to the next stage.
In the quarterfinals Hype edged L.M.F.A.O 1-0 on penalties after the game ended 0-0 and Smurfs took care of Black Hawks by 1-0 in the dying seconds of the game while Running Rebels and Hot Skulls received byes into the semifinal round.
In the semi-finals, Running Rebels blew away L.M.F.A.O, 3-0 while Smurfs edged out Hot Skulls 2-1 on penalties after their match ended 0-0.
The tournament was the first of 11 tournaments the club plans to host this year.
Six tournaments will be open to all clubs while the remaining five will be for Hikers members only.
The House of Land and Water tournament was played in honour of long-time Hikers’ stalwart Alex Gouveia who migrated to the United States of America last year.
Gouveia was given the nick name “House and Land” because of his unwavering intensity and commitment to winning in both practice and games, for his club, a release from the club stated.
The Hikers Hockey Club will also host its first annual fund-raising dinner and awards ceremony on March 5 at the Savannah Suite, Pegasus Hotel. The event is aimed at raising funds for the club’s expansive junior development programme.