Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) lifted the TNBMHL 2017 Premier League title following a 3-2 victory over three-time champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) at the Kuala Lumpur HA Stadium.
It was Germany’s Anton Poul Fritz Ebeling who turned the night into a harrowing moment for Sarjit Singh’s THT.
Both teams were tied at 2-2 by the 51st minute and THT was well on the way to their fourth title as all the east coast side needed was a draw to pull away from KLHC as they had a 21-goal advantage over the 2013 champions before the start of the match after sharing 33-equal points.
But KLHC were all fired up and went on the offensive on the final lap of the match, earned a penalty corner with five seconds remaining to the hooter and Fritz Ebeling turned the ball into the goal to give KLHC victory once again after a four-year wait.
“This victory has been very sweet for me personally and KLHC. Since the first match of the League, I have been preparing the team for today’s crucial tie. THT are a highly respected side in the league and a win over them today calls for a celebration,” said KLHC head coach Muhammad Harun Alrashid Samri.
It was (KLHC) that surprised opposing team THT with a 17th-minute field goal. Dedy Aryadi Jumaidi scored the pivotal goal but Korean Jang Jonghyun drew the match with a PC goal. This pressure enabled Nabil Fiqri to score for KLHC in the 43rd minute.
THT clawed back with a 51st-minute equalizer through Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil, giving hope of a THT victory until Fritz Ebeling’s devilish intervention dashed all hopes.
UniKL finished third in the Premier Division following a 1-0 victory over Tenaga Nasional Berhad. In Malacca Maybank defeated University Teknologi MARA-KPT (UiTM) 3-1 at the Bukit Serindit Hockey Stadium to claim fifth place in the League.
TNB Thunderbolts suffered a 2-1 defeat against Tunku Mahkota Is Sports School (SSTMI) in Bandar Penawar to finish sixth with 13 points followed by SSTMI (5) and UiTM-KPT is at the bottom with two points.
Results – Premier League: Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club 3 Terengganu Hockey Team 2; University Kuala Lumpur 1 Tenaga Nasional Berhad 0; Tunku Mahkota Is Sports School 2 TNB Thunderbolts 1; Maybank 3 UiTM-KPT 1.
Picture Source: www.mhc.org.my
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