Bhubaneswar: The Accord Tamil Nadu Dragons clinched a dramatic 4-2 shootout victory over the Ranchi Royals after an absorbing Men’s Hero Hockey India League (HIL) contest ended 3-3 at regulation time, here on Wednesday. While the Dragons walked away with a crucial bonus point, the Royals did enough to finish second on the points table, setting up a high-voltage Qualifier 1 clash against the Kalinga Lancers on Friday.
The result also confirmed playoff berths for the Hyderabad Toofans, while JSW Soorma Hockey Club remain in contention for the final spot. Soorma must register a massive seven-goal win against SG Pipers in their final league match to pip HIL GC to fourth place.
Ranchi Royals made a blistering start, taking the lead inside the opening minute through Mandeep Singh. A swift passing move caught the Dragons’ defence off guard, and after Maxime Van Oost’s close-range effort was parried, Mandeep reacted sharply to scoop the rebound into the net from a tight angle. The Royals doubled their advantage in the ninth minute when captain Tom Boon struck from a penalty corner, recovering quickly after his initial drag-flick was blocked to beat goalkeeper David Harte.
The Dragons weathered the early storm and slowly found their rhythm in the second quarter. Their persistence paid off in the 24th minute when Blake Govers converted their first penalty corner of the match, pulling one back to keep his side firmly in the contest.
Momentum swung decisively in the third quarter as the Dragons drew level. After a probing move initiated by Govers, Karthi Selvam was perfectly placed to tap home from close range and make it 2-2. The Royals, however, regained the lead soon after, with Tom Boon calmly converting a penalty stroke to score his second goal of the night and restore Ranchi’s advantage.
The Dragons refused to relent and were rewarded in the final quarter. Govers stepped up once again in the 53rd minute, firing home another penalty corner to level the scores at 3-3. The Royals came close to snatching a late winner through Araijeet Singh’s fierce reverse tomahawk, but Dragons goalkeeper Suraj Karkera stood firm to ensure the match went to a shootout.
In the shootout, the Dragons held their nerve as Nathan Ephraums, Blake Govers, Uttam Singh and Tom Craig converted their attempts to seal a 4-2 win and claim the bonus point.
Action in the Hero Hockey India League continues on Thursday as JSW Soorma Hockey Club face SG Pipers at 7:30 PM. All matches will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 and DD Sports, and live-streamed on Waves and the Hockey India League YouTube channel.