Nomad All Saints vs Reloaded

The match-up between Nomad All Saints and Reloaded lived up to its billing as the most action packed game of the night. New kids on the block, All Saints comprised of members from the SM All Saints school, led by their captain, Capt. William Chong who is also the Sabah West Coast MSSM hockey goalie against the very experienced and battle hardened Reloaded team led by acting captain, Telly Chong. (Capt. Chin Foo Wing was absent)

From the first second, both teams were vying for control of the game, with both sides going on the offence, testing the opponent’s goalies and the counter-attacking once the offence was broken down. However, it was evident from the start that the veteran Reloaded team played with a maturity and composure that far exceeded their age. They read the game and each other well (Agent Mulder and Scully of the X-files would claim that they were communicating through Telepathy if they watched the game!) and their deft passing on both sides of the court left the All Saints team struggling to gain possession by playing a more physical game and scraping and fighting for the ball, often times committing offences that sent their players to the bench and giving Reloaded a chance to put pressure on their opponents in power play. However, it was during one of these power plays that All Saints were able to turn the table on their opponents when Capt. William Chong intercepted a stray pass and raced for the goal and skilfully manoeuvred the ball to open the account for the All Saints. Nevertheless, Reloaded kept their composure and stuck to their game plan and in the 11th minute, they were rewarded when Gregory Chin slapped a missile into the top corner of the All Saints cage setting his team in frenzy. They soon struck again in the 13th minute while All Saints were caught napping and a skilful pass to an unmarked Adrian Lim was converted into a beautiful shot upstairs, far from the reach of the All Saints goalie. Reloaded would go on to score yet another time before the end of the period.

End of 1st Period: Nomad All Saints 1 : Reloaded 3

All Saints decided to field their 2nd goalie in the 2nd period but that did not stop the scoring frenzy of team Reloaded. With their confidence building, they took advantage of All Saints who were looking tired and dispirited. Once again Gregory Chin found the back of the net just 2 minutes into the game. Retaliation from All Saints was swift, with their Captain, Capt. William Chong scoring shortly after that. All Saints, were not about to give up yet. However, their respite was temporary as Reloaded were again allowed to wreck havoc in All Saints’ half and their unmarked Samuel Wong scored back to back goals in the 2nd & 3rd minute. A brave solo effort by Capt. William Chong brought the score to 3-6 to Reloaded.

From that point onwards, the game descended into more of a fistfight, with both teams slugging it out with their bodies and stick, and the referee warning several players, particularly from All Saints to behave or risk being sent to the penalty bench. Team Reloaded would go one to score 3 more goals through their playmakers, Gregory Chin and Samuel Wong before the end of the 2nd period.

End of 2nd Period: Nomad All Saints 2 : Reloaded 6

The game ended with both teams giving their best and leaving nothing to chance and both teams deserve to be applauded for the wonderful match that left everyone who was watching asking for more. With 4 more games to slug it out between all the teams, the inaugural season promises to be an exciting one!

FINAL SCORE : Nomad All Saints 3 : Reloaded 9

1st Period
Capt. William Chong - Nomad All Saints (7m 03s)
Gregory Chin - Reloaded (11m 21s)
Adrian Lim - Reloaded (13m 12s)
Lim Yao Seng - Reloaded (16m 04s)

2nd Period
Gregory Chin - Reloaded (1m 45s)
Capt. William Chong - Nomad All Saints (2m 37s)
Samuel Wong - Reloaded (2m 59s)
Samuel Wong - Reloaded (3m 45s)
Capt. William Chong - Nomad All Saints (4m 12s)
Gregory Chin - Reloaded (9m 59s)
Samuel Wong - Reloaded (12m 55s)
Gregory Chin - Reloaded (15m 07s)