Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) continued their winning ways with a clinical performance to beat UiTM HA-KPT United 3-1 in the TNB-Malaysian Men’s Hockey League 2025 at the Batu Buruk Hockey Stadium in Kuala Terengganu on Friday (Jan 10).
The 2025 Charity Shield champions were led by five current national players including goalkeeper Muhammad Hafizuddin Othman and two foreign players. But that did not stop the Universiti Teknologi Mara outfit from ruffling THT feathers in the last quarter.
THT took control of the match and then unpicked UiTM’s defence with the first goal in the 18th minute. Muhammad Arif Shafie sounded the board from a penalty corner conversion, and Mohamad Akhimullah Anuar Esook extended it to 2-0 from a field goal (32nd).
Former national team captain Mohd Fitri Saari, who has 340 international caps, extended the lead to 3-0 with a penalty corner conversion six minutes into the third quarter.
Muhammad Idris Samad, however, reduced the deficit for UiTM by converting a penalty corner in the 51st minute.
The victory saw THT consolidate their top spot in the standings with nine points from three matches so far. Maybank is second with six points, and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Malaysian Armed Forces, and TNB Thunderbolts are joint-third spot on three points each.
Maybank looked composed as they clawed back from a goal down to defeat China’s Liaoning 2-1 in what was a clash between two strong teams at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Friday.
The Blue Shirts Liaoning team arrived in Kuala Lumpur five days ago and the encounter against Maybank was their first in the 10-team league.
Liaoning is coached by South Korean Kim Sang Ryul, who was instrumental in molding the Koreans into a world class team in the 1990s and led the men’s team to a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Both teams had clear opportunities in the first quarter but could not find the net. The Chinese, however, had the upper hand in the second quarter, and Wang Yubo opened the scoring for them in the 18th minute through a penalty corner.
Maybank got a goal back through a Muhammad Najmi Farizal Jazlan penalty corner conversion in the 45th minute, and Mohammad Razie Abd Rahim extended the lead to 2-1 in the 51stminute via a penalty stroke conversion.
Meanwhile, TNB crushed TNB Thunderbolts 7-3 on Thursday for their second win in three matches. Muhammad Azrai Aizad scored four goals, while Muhammad Amirul Hamizan and Jang Jong Hyun scored one a piece.
Thunderbolts’ goals were scored by Mohd Fahmi Khalid, Mohd Nabil Irfan, and Muhamad Atif Aqil.
The Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) also earned their first three points following a 2-1 win over Nurinsafi Sporting at the Ministry of Education Hockey Stadium on Jalan Pantai.
Ismail Abu open scoring for ATM (30th) via an open goal, and Sufian Marsom extended the lead to 2-0 in the 37th minute through a penalty corner conversion. Nurinsafi’s goal was scored by Putra Ahmad Syahmi four minutes later from a field goal.
