BHUBANESWAR 01-May-2016
Hockey Odisha beat Association of Indian Universities (AIU) 4-0 in the play-off match to finish third in the 6th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship (Division-A) at Saifai in Uttar Pradesh today. Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) emerged champions, defeating Hockey Punjab in the final via penalty shootout.
Earlier, Hockey Odisha lost to RSPB 2-3 in the semifinals. Led by Alok Barla, Hockey Odisha reached the semifinals after a gap of 24 years with three wins and a draw in Pood-D. They beat Sports Authority of India 4-1, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha 3-2, Hocky Patiala 2-1 and drew with Hockey Haryana 2-2.
Placed in the same pool, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha, the second team from the state, bowed out from the league stage, winning two matches, drawing one and losing one. Led by Roshan Minz, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha started their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Hockey Haryana. Subsequently, they beat Sports Authority of India 9-3 and Hockey Patiala 6-1. But the defeat at the hands of Hockey Odisha cost them dear.
Four players from Odisha played crucial roles in the Railway triumph. Among them, international full back Amit Rohidas scored two goals each in the semifinal and final. Other three Odisha players in the Railway team were youth international goal keeper Sushant Tirkey, former India junior forward Stanley Victor Minz and forward Rajin Kandulna.
