TN Dragons edges out Team Gonasika

In a goal-fest of fluctuating fortunes, Dutch drag-flicker Jip Janssen came up with a spectacular hat-trick to guide Tamil Nadu Dragons to a 6-5 win over Team Gonasika in the Hockey India League at the  Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on Wednesday.

Dragons’ second outright win pushed it up to second spot on the table.

Gonasika, relying on its short passing, made early inroads through Araijeet Singh Hundal’s double strike.  Araijeet launched a diagonal grounder from the edge of the circle and then tapped in a cross from Timothee Clement, who defied two defenders and barely maintained his balance to pass it from the goal-line. Dragons clawed back slowly. At the stroke of the first break, Janssen’s beautiful variation was deflected in by Abharan Sudev.

Early in the second quarter, Dragon earned three short corners and Janssen sounded the boards to restore parity. Man-to-man marking denied Gonasika free movement and helped Dragons share the honours at half-time.

Janssen put Dragons in the lead by converting a penalty corner early in the second half.

Gonasika bounced back well. After Tim Howard’s shot off a short corner hit the crossbar, Nikkin Thimmaiah deflected in to make it 3-3. Struan Walker’s short corner conversion restored Gonasika’s lead.

Dragons again showed its set-piece excellence and Janssen surprised Oliver Payne with another penalty corner variation.

Dragons went ahead through Nathan Ephraums’ strike before Clement drew level.

Karthi Selvam scored the winner, the fourth goal of the action-packed fourth quarter, a minute before the hooter, in the 11-goal nail-biter.

In the second match, bottom-placed Hyderabad Toofans upset UP Rudras 3-0 to record its first victory in regulation time.

First hat-trick

Kalinga Lancers’ Thierry Brinkman scored the first hat-trick of this edition after a goal, originally awarded to Briton Nicholas Bandurak, against Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers was credited to the Dutchman a day later.

The results: Tamil Nadu 6 (Sudev 15, Janssen 19, 33, 50, Ephramus 55, Karthi 59) bt Team Gonasika 5 (Araijeet Singh Hundal 5, 7, Nikkin 39, Walker 43, Clement 58); Hyderabad Toofans 3 (Wallace 6, Rajinder 14, Shilanand 32) bt UP Rudras 0.