2 Feb 2009

Blacksticks draw with Germany

7:14 pm on 2 February 2009

The New Zealand men's hockey team has draw two all with Germany in their second match of the Punjab Gold Cup in India.

The Blacksticks team manager Tony Edwards says it was a much improved performance against the current Olympic champions, after losing to India at the weekend 2-nil.

He says the team played with more intensity and played a much more structured game to be 1-0 up at half time through a stroke converted by Lloyd Stephenson in the 4th minute.

In the 8th minute of the second half Blair Hilton, on debut, seized on a mistake from the German keeper, to score putting New Zealand 2-0 up.

The German team upped their intensity and forced a penalty corner 4 minutes later, converting through a drag flick, bringing the score back to 2-1.

New Zealand had a number of chances but couldn't convert against torrid German defence.

With 4 minutes left on the clock Germany won another penalty corner and again converted with a further drag flick to Leitz Tobias into the roof of the goal bringing the score to 2-2.