The annual June long weekend regional hockey championships provided another tough outing for the Northern sides as they failed to pick up a title for the second year running.
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Held at Hobart's Tasmania Hockey Centre over the weekend, play was dominated by the host region, with five out of a possible six title heading South.
The only relief for the Northern half of the state was a shock under-13 boys North West victory over the dominant South Blue side in the final.
Having been defeated by the Southern side 2-1 in earlier play on Saturday and reaching the final due to a nervy score-less draw with the North, the North West headed into the finals as underdogs but emerged victorious in a high-scoring 4-2 win.
Despite other Northern results not going the way of the side, the under-15 girls and both under-18 outfits managed to pick up a third-placed result with strong finishes in the finals.
Defeating North West 7-0 in their first match the 15s girls started off with a bang but were brought back down to earth with 6-0 and 4-1 defeats to the Southern duo before knocking off their Coastal counterparts again.
The star-studded under-18 Northern boys featured a similar tale in their quest for the gold as they picked up an early win against the North West but ran into the Southern roadblock in competitive losses.
Rebounding for the minor placings play-off, they hit the scoreboard running with a 3-2 win that secured third.
Led by several Queechy Penguins, the under-18 girls lost their first three matches, including a 9-0 thumping against South Blue, influenced by leading Tasmanian junior Maddison Brooks.
Overcoming the odds in their final match, the girls managed to pick up a 3-2 win over the North West to finish the tournament in third.