Collegiate crowned U16 hockey champions at Pearson festival

The Pearson High School campus was abuzz with activity this past weekend as the Summerstrand school hosted their annual U16 girls’ hockey tournament.

Schools from around the region such as Collegiate, Woodridge, DSG, Brandwag and many more attended the tournament to enjoy a full weekend of hockey.

Pearson recently completed their second astro turf on their campus, which allowed for a large number of fixtures to be played over the three days.

The tournament kicked off on Friday afternoon, with Collegiate A and Union High paired up on the main astro turf, and Woodridge and Brandwag competing on the second astro.

The hockey played in the pool matches proved that there is plenty of talent in the province, with Collegiate, Pearson, DSG and Kingswood in strong contention in their various pools.

The cross-pool matches began at lunchtime on Saturday and the spectators were spoilt for choice on which matches to watch over the two astro turfs.

With more than 70 hockey matches being played in the three-day period, the stage was set for an action-packed final on Sunday as Pearson took to the turf to play Collegiate.

Both teams were in good form throughout the weekend, ending top of their pools and winning their quarterfinals and semifinals.

The 25-minute fixture started off  evenly, with attacking play from both teams.

Collegiate soon converted an early goal and from then on they dominated the pattern of play.

Going into the last 10 minutes Pearson shifted into a new gear and created exciting play going forward, but were unable to convert their opportunities for the equaliser.

Collegiate created a second goal-scoring opportunity and took their chance to close the game off with a comfortable 2-0 lead.

As time ran out for Pearson, Collegiate were crowned the champions, ending a weekend of exhilarating hockey which showcased the healthy state of the sport among schools.

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