Lightshop Hotsticks 6
Rabat Depiro 2
Lightshop Hotsticks retained their two-point lead at the top of the standings following this win over Rabat at the Corradino Hockey Complex.
Steve Portelli shot Hotsticks ahead on six minutes but Rabat reacted and, after a spate of penalty corner awards, Matthew Buhagiar equalised for his team.
The action ebbed and flowed from end to end. Julian Zahra scored Hotsticks’ second goal on 23 minutes and soon after Rabat raced down to the other end and levelled matters a second time through Charlot Antonelli.
As the second half got underway, Portelli produced a sharp turn inside the D and slotted home to grab his second and Hotsticks’ third.
Tempers frayed and Rabat were reduced to ten men which gave their opponents more space to operate down the flanks.
Lukas Plaehn made it 4-2 with a crisp shot from the top of the D and a minute later his brother Silas netted Hotsticks’ fifth goal.
All credit to Rabat who battled away as they threw caution to the wind. However, on 69 minutes Sammut completed the scoring to seal the win for the National League leaders.
Umpires: Shawn Mifsud, Raymond Micallef.
Laferla White Hart 1
Qormi Pata Poiatti 6
Qormi maintained their challenge at the top of the table after cruising past lowly White Hart 6-1.
Juan Sarcia scored with a scorcher early on and he netted his second soon after for Qormi to open a double lead.
Kyle Micallef entered the D from the left flank and let fly a beauty to send Qormi 3-0 up on 18 minutes.
Qormi were dictating the game at their own pace and Sarcia grabbed his hat trick on 22 minutes, the score remaining unchanged at 4-0 as the half-time whistle blew.
White Hart seemed a more determined lot in the second half and Luke Brincat reduced the arrears from a penalty corner.
Qormi were more relaxed in their approach but on 53 minutes John Williams snapped up a rebound off the keeper’s pads and netted Qormi’s fifth from close range before Zachary Degiovanni rounded up the score to 6-1, keeping Qormi well in the hunt for the league title.
Umpires: James Mizzi, Edward Hughes.
Standings
Hotsticks 12; Qormi 10; Young Stars 8; Rabat 5; White Hart 1.