January 17, Rourkela (Odisha) [India]: The Vedanta Kalinga Lancers defeated the Delhi SG Pipers 5-1 on Thursday in the Hero Hockey India League Men’s match at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela thanks to an incredible offensive performance.

Corey Weyer (46′) scored the only goal for Pipers, while Nicholas Bandurak (11′), Arthur van Doren (36′), Gursahibjit Singh (45′), and Thierry Brinkman (38′, 43′) scored goals for Lancers.

The Delhi SG Pipers took the lead right away and gained the first penalty corner of the match in the fourth minute. Krishan Pathak responded to Tomas Domene’s forceful slapshot with a solid block. Pawan Kumar made a string of incredible saves in goal to keep the Kalinga Lancers from scoring in the eighth minute. Following a persistent onslaught by Nicholas Bandurak, the Lancers managed to go past Pawan in the eleventh minute. Pawan stopped the Englishman’s attempt on goal from the edge of the circle, but Bandurak was fortunate to get the rebound. He gave the Lancers a 1-0 lead after smashing the ball in from close range.

Lucas Toscani’s crazy run into the circle and subsequent penalty corner after being stick-checked in the 23rd minute gave the SG Pipers a chance. Rohit Kumar launched a strong shot, but Pathak saved his team with another brilliant stop. Shortly after, Iktidar Ishrat got an opportunity when he caught a loose ball, but his tomahawk shot missed the mark. At the opposite end, Dilpreet Singh also had an opportunity to increase the Lancers’ advantage, but he was unable to keep his shot on goal. The Lancers led by a slim 1-0 margin at the half, and Pathak was unconcerned by Domene’s dragflick in the last minute of the second quarter.

With two penalty corners won in the first minute of the third quarter, the SG Pipers, who had more possession and circle penetrations in the first half of play, got off to a great start. But Pathak was still invincible, so it wasn’t meant to be for them. After a spectacular penalty corner change in the 36th minute, the Lancers extended their advantage. In a brilliant offensive play, Arthur Van Doren used his extended stick to meet a concealed dragflick. Two minutes later, Thierry Brinkman scored his sixth goal of the season after stealing the ball from the SG Pipers’ defense and slotting it past Pawan to make it 3-0.

When Pawan rushed off his line to thwart Angad Bir Singh in the 43rd minute, Brinkman scored once again. But when the ball deflected, Brinkman was in a good position to send it into an open goal to make it 4-0. Brinkman became the season’s leading scorer with the goal.

In the 45th minute, Rosan Kujur dribbled down the right wing and lay it brilliantly for Gursahibjit Singh, who made no mistake, giving the Lancers a 5-0 lead.

When Jake Whetton recovered the ball and found Corey Weyer, whose thundering tomahawk slipped past Pathak in the 46th minute, the SG Pipers drew one back. However, the Vedanta Kalinga Lancers decisively defeated the Delhi SG Pipers, thus it was too little, too late.