Marlena dashes Malaysian hope..

THE National women's hockey team failed at the last hurdle when they were edged 1-0 by Poland in the semi-finals of the World League Round Two in New Delhi yesterday.
  Malaysia had scored a total of 18 goals in four matches and never let in a single one, until they met Poland in the last four.
  Marlena Rybacha was the toast of the Poles, as her third minute penalty corner goal took them into the final, and also earned them a ticket into the World League Semi-finals where berths to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics are on offer.
  For the record, it was only Marlena's fourth goal of the tournament which dashed Malaysia's hopes.
  The other semi-finals late yesterday was between India and Thailand, with the hosts being hot favourites to advance to the final.
  Malaysia will now play for the bronze but it would highly likely be a Sea Games warm-up against Thailand, and the medal would not take them into the WL Semi-finals.
  The WL rules stipulate that the highest ranked bronze medallists in three of the Round Two tournaments will also advance, but Azarbaijan, ranked 19th, finished third in Montevideo and are eagerly awaiting qualification.
  Malaysia are ranked 21st in the world.

Milo Cup: Young Guns tired of firing blanks..

UNIKL Young Guns will be playing in their sixth consecutive Milo Cup finals against SSTMI Thunderbolts in the MHC-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
  The University side made their debut in 2010, and lifted the Milo Cup by beating Thunderbolts who were known as Bandar Penawar Sports School back then.
  However, in the next four Milo Cup finals, SSTMI Thunderbolts were the victors and last season it was on a 2-0 scoreline.
  This year, SSTMI Thunderbolts beat UniKL 4-2 en route to lifting their fourth consecutive League title.
  That is why UniKL coach I. Vickneswaran can't wait to shed the bridesmaid tag: "Even though we have been consistently finishing second, but I believe this time around it will be different."
  "They (Thunderbolts) will enter the pitch as favourites but we can't let that affect us psychologically. In terms of experience and chemistry, Thunderbolts will have the upper hand as they not only have some of the best junior players in the country, but have also been together for many years.
  "We have planned something special for the final, and hopefully it is enough to upset the formbook," said Vickneswaran.
  SSTMI Thunderbolts have been cruising at top speed in the knock-out stage and it would be a major surprise if they do not lift their fourth consecutive double today.
   However, Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman have brushed aside the favourites tag: “We may have got the better of them during the league, but I can assure you that it would not be so easy tomorrow (today). Both sides have their own strengths and it will all boil down to who can play their cards right.”
  Wan Roslan is well aware of the threat that UniKL can pose and has made some tactical re-adjustment for the big game.
  “UniKL are very dangerous when they push forward and we will also have to keep an eye on (S.) Deveandran and Norsyafiq (Sumantri), they pull the strings upfront and my defenders must neutralise them.”
  National senior team skipper Azlan Misron, who is Down Under on Tour with his men to prepare for the Azlan Shah Cup, made his prediction for the Milo Cup.
  “The final is too close to call as this rivalry has been going on for years now. But I predict Thunderbolts have the extra fire-power to come out tops, but on penalty shoot out. I predict a 2-2 full time score," said Azlan.
  TODAY: Final -- SSTMI Thunderbolts v UniKL Young Guns (National Stadium Picth II, 5.30pm).
  Third-Fourth: SSP-MSP Thunderbolts v Petaling Jaya City Council (National Stadium Picth II, 3.30pm).

SSTMI Thunderbolts v UniKL final..

UNIKL Young Guns and SSTMI Thunderbolts will clash in a repeat final for the MHC-Milo-NSC Milo Cup title Sunday at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
  Yesterday, UniKL thumped Petaling Jaya City Council 5-1 for a 7-1 aggregate win, while defending champions SSTMI Thunderbolts whipped SSP-MSP Thunderbolts 7-2 for a 12-3 aggregate win.
  Last season, SSTMI Thunderbolts beat UniKL 2-0 to lay their hands on the Milo Cup, but it will be a much more balanced final tomorrow.
  The UniKL goals were scored by Maxhans Christi (5th), S. Deveandren (22nd), Norikhwas Rahman (46th), Nur Faiz Rosli (59th) and Norsyafiq Sumantri (60th). PJCC got their consolation off Hussini Abu Bakar in the 41st minute.
  SSTMI Thunderbolts got their goals off Amirul Hamizan (7th, 12th), Zainul Rusyaidi (17th, 31st), Luqman Nul Hakim (25th), Zulhamizan Awang (46th) and Azmie Othman (66th). Indris Samad scored the SSP-MSP Thunderbolts goals in the 35th and 56th minutes.
  "Out initial target was just to qualify for the semi-finals and we have surpassed it. Now, we will just go in and enjoy the final as the pressure will be on SSTMI to defend their Milo Cup," said UniKL coach I. Vickneswaran.
  Vickneswaran aslo pointed out that SSTMI have the best juniors in the country: "So, there will be added pressure for them to defend as well as attack while we have nothing to lose while everything to gain from the final.
  SSTMI Thunderbolts will be gunning for their fourth consecutive JHL double: "We played for big wins in the semi-finals to keep the momentum going, because taking it easy at this stage could disrupt our our preparations to defend the Milo Cup.
  "And now that we got the goals flowing, hopefully it will give my strikers more confidence in the final."
  RESULTS: Semi-finals Second Leg: SSTMI Thunderbolts 7 SSP-MSP Thunderbolts 2 (SSTMI win 12-3 on aggregate); UniKL Young Guns 5 Petaling Jaya City Council 1 (UniKL win 7-1 on aggregate). 
  SUNDAY: Final -- SSTMI Thunderbolts v UniKL Young Guns (National Stadium Picth II, 5.30pm).
  Third-Fourth: SSP-MSP Thunderbolts v Petaling Jaya City Council (National Stadium Picth II, 3pm).

Time to grease the Poles...

THE Malaysian women will play in a do-or-die match against Poland Saturday in the semi-finals of the World League Round Two in New Delhi.
  Only the finalists advance to the World League Semi-finals, a feat which the women have yet to achieve.
  The driving force for coach Nasihin Nubli's charges would be the fact that Poland have been blowing hot and cold, while Malaysia have yet to concede a single goal in their 18-goal scoring spree in four matches.
  Also, Malaysia are ranked 21 in the world while Poland are No 26: "We only have one more match to qualify for WL Semis, and my charges are not about to give it up without playing their hearts out," declared Nasihin.
  And finishing third is also not an option for Malaysia, as the WL rules stipulate that the highest ranked bronze medallists in three of the Round Two tournaments will also advance, but Azarbaijan, ranked 19th, finished third in Montevideo and are eagerly awaiting qualification.
  SATURDAY: Semi-finals: Poland v Malaysia (8.15pm Malaysian time); India v Thailand.
  Fifth-Eighth: Singapore v Kazakhstan; Russia v Ghana.

Five head for France, Germany..

PIC: Selvaraju in red..

FIVE Malaysians will be heading abroad Saturday to ply their trade in France and German leagues.
  Former national player S. Selvaraju and former national coach K. Dharmaraj help secure clubs for the players, while the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) provided the release letters.
  Funding came from the National Sports Council as well as UniKL Hockey Club.
  Selvaraju, who started his career by playing in the 2005 Junior World Cup in Rotterdam, will be playing for Wespen HC, a Division Two outfit in Germany, together with twins Shazril Irwan, 21, and Shazrul Imran Nazli.
  Locally, Shazril plays for Tenaga Nasional while Shazrul for UniKL.
  Former national player Megat Azrafiq will head for France to play for Division Two outfit PSG HC.
  Nor Aqmal Mohamed (UniKL) and Khairul Amirin (KLHC) will play for 
German club Marrindoff HC.
  "This collaboration between German and France clubs was made possible with help from many quarters, and in the end, the country will benefit by sending our youth to play in overseas leagues. UniKL and Dharmaraj played a big role in securing sponsorship and clubs for the boys," said Selvaraju.
    The five will return in June.