It was a race between two Thunderbolts but in the end, SSBJ staged a late surge to pip SSTMI to the Boys’ Division One title of the TNB Malaysian Junior Hockey League 2022.
In their final game of the league earlier today, SSBJ Thunderbolts beat homesters SMKDBL-PHJ-MSNJ 3-0 to win the league title with 24 points from eight matches played.
It took SSBJ just three minutes to prise open the lead with a Field Goal from Muhammad Amirul Haniff Mamat as he then doubled the advantage with a Penalty Corner finish in the 29th minute.
SMKDBL-PHJ-MSNJ tried hard to fend off the incessant onslaught but they just could not stem the tide as SSBJ then wrapped things up in the 59th minute with a Penalty Corner goal from Muhammad Fakharul Mohd Sopfian.
While SSBJ took the Division One crown, the loss for SMKDBL-PHJ-MSNJ did not affect their position on third after nearest challenger SSTMI Juniors were held to a 2-2 draw by MBPJ Black Widow.
The one point for SSTMI Juniors meant that they slipped down to fifth as AHP-SSP-MSP Thunderbolts moved up to fourth following their 2-1 win over MSNS/SHA Sabah.
It was a close fight between two teams eager to keep their places in the top six of the final standings where in the end, AHP-SSP-MSP Thunderbolts were just a tad more determined when Mohamad Shamir Rizmi Shamsul delivered the winning Field Goal in the 44th minute.
Earlier, AHP-SSP-MSP Thunderbolts grabbed the lead with a Penalty Corner goal from Mohamad Hazim Mohd Ahir in the eighth minute before it was cancelled out with a Chyreal Harvie Ahinin’s Penalty Corner goal in the 32nd minute for MSNS/SHA Sabah.
The top six teams from the Boys’ Division One and the top two finalists from Division Two will move into the quarterfinals of the TNB Cup, which starts on Wednesday.
TNB MALAYSIAN JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE 2022
RESULTS
BOYS
DIVISION ONE
MSNS/SHA Sabah 1-2 AHP-SSP-MSP Thunderbolts
MBPJ Black Widow 2-2 SSTMI Juniors
Anderson Thunderbolts 4-0 Kedah Eagle Jr
SMKDBL-PHJ-MSNJ 0-3 SSBJ Thunderbolts
