MINDEN UNIHAWKS v INNEBANDY! CO
18th June 2009, Thursday
0-10 (0-2, 0-8)
18th June 2009, Thursday
0-10 (0-2, 0-8)
0922 0-1 Nicholas Ong (Rooban Chand)
1337 Minden UniHawks time out
1851 0-2 Nicholas Ong (Rooban Chand)
1207 0-3 Andrew Yeap
1404 0-4 Deswyn Wan (Sam Teoh)
1406 2 mins for illegal equipment: Darren Loh (INC)
1631 0-5 Rooban Chand (Deswyn Wan)
1944 0-6 Deswyn Wan
1122 0-7 Ephraim Teh
1204 0-8 Sam Teoh (Deswyn Wan)
1430 0-9 Darren Loh (Sam Teoh)
1524 2 mins for incorrect hit: Daniel Chong (MDU)
1603 0-10 Nicholas Ong (Deswyn Wan)
SOT 3-30
If Frontliners weren't known as 'Spartans', UniHawks would have definitely earned that name after last night's daring display with just 8 players on their side against a full squad of Innebandy! Co..
Once again, BBF took initiative to get hold of both coaches - Minden UniHawks' very new head coach, Christopher Koh, along with the very experienced Innebandy! Co.'s head coach, Sam Teoh. What do they have to say about their game? Let's hear it from them!
The following is the interview between Borak Borak Floorball (BBF) and Christopher Koh (CK):
BBF: This is your first outing as a coach in PFL D1, how do you feel? Especially since you played against last years runner-up, Innebandy! Co..
CK: Yes, it is my first outing as a coach. For sure the pressure is more intense for different reasons – for me, the pressure comes from the fact that I’m still new in this field and this naturally builds up from the responsibility I have as a coach, which is to be able to identify the problem and then present a set of ‘solutions’ for the team – to add all that against a team such as Innebandy, it wasn’t an easy task. I know I’m still on a learning curve in coaching and have loads more to pick up as well. Good experience nonetheless!
BBF: The number of players on the bench was much talked about, what happened?
CK: Our core group of players are basically students from USM. Unfortunately for us, the league started amid their semester break, therefore, most of them are either back in their hometown else where or are undergoing their internship. We managed to pull together those who are in Penang.
BBF: With the amount of players that you had, what strategy did you have in mind?
CK: Innebandy’s strength is from their centre right up to their forwards. With the amount and the types of players that I had, I felt that we were more suited to play half-press for two reasons; to conserve energy and to play tight defensively to counter their strength in the centre and forward. The initial strategy was to contain them and try to cut the losses in score line, with the hope of losing out 1 or 2-0, and we did fend them off well in the first period, letting in only 2 goals. With two goals down and nothing to lose, I decided to switch to 3-quarter press early in the second period against Innebandy’s second line, while staying half-press against their first line. Obviously, the change of game plan affected the focus of my players, which resulted in successive goals on their part.
BBF: How do you think such a huge defeat (10-0) would affect your morale and how do you intend to keep the team going as the league progress?
CK: Even before the league started, I already said to myself that for us, Minden UniHawks, it would be a test of character more than anything else. To go on court with 8 players against a team such as Innebandy, it was a learning opportunity to cease. Character precedes winning – the best team is born out of winning medals, but a great team is born out of a unified spirit and positive characters. The first game is always the hardest. I think as a team, the morale will boost tremendously once we get the rest of the players back after the semester break. Until then, my job is just to keep the players motivated.
BBF: Finally, who was your MoM for team Innebandy and why?
CK: I would have to say Nicholas Ong. He was in tip-top form last night and almost single-handedly destroyed us. Nic is known for his knack of ‘mood swings’ in his form but last night, fortunately for him but unfortunately for us, he was in a ‘good mood’ and we could see why – he broke the deadlock for Innebandy and scored the last goal for them. He played well last night. Great job.
The following is the interview between Borak Borak Floorball (BBF) and Sam Teoh (ST) of Innebandy! Co. (IC):
BBF: Your first game of the league and against what many would consider the underdog – was it a good thing to start off against a weaker side? And as a coach, was it a relieve for you?
ST: Yes! It is definitely an advantage for us since most of us are not accustomed to playing on the full size court. Playing against MDU on our first game has helped boost our confidence on court, not solely for winning, but more so of staying tight and playing together as a team. However, MDU is not new to Floorball in Penang, hence, they were never viewed by IC as the underdog in this league. They are still capable of crushing their opponent's dreams. I still remember the closing game of last year's league.
BBF: Obviously, your team has better players and you guys outnumbered UniHawks, with that comes a certain expectation but it seemed that the Hawks manage to go damage control in the first period, and your players seemed to struggle to hit in the goals, taking only a 2-0 lead. What was the strategy in the first period? Do you think it worked?
ST: Like I said, most of us seldom play on a full size court. That is the reason why we could only score 2 goals in the 1st period. Also, MDU played a very tight defensive game in the 1st period. It wasn't easy to penetrate the ball through but we still got a couple of shots on target. The strategy was quite simple or confusing, based on the level of seniority of the individual in Floorball. I don't really expect the game play to work in the 1st period as most of us are still trying to adapt and to register the game play into our heads. A slow start for IC indeed.
BBF: The second period you guys manage to bank in the goals. What do you think contributed to the successive goals and what were your orders in the second period?
ST: IC managed to bounce back in the 2nd period and gave the scoreboard a double digit score line, something which I didn't expect to see for the 1st game. Our movements and passes improved as the game prolonged. The instruction was pretty simple - I asked the team to do ONE thing which they like to do most, that's to score goals. They did exactly that. However, if MDU were to stick to their tight defence game play then the margin would definitely have been lower.
BBF: Defensively, your team seemed a little shaky at times. Was it a concern you had even against a small team such as UniHawks?
ST: Its has always been a struggle and concern for IC on our part as coaches. But they did improved a lot compared to last year's league. Better control and tougher. Our defence needs to play the game without feeling the pressure from the opponents. It is something which ONLY the individual can work on themselves!
BBF: Who do you think was the man of the match for Minden UniHawks and why?
***************************************
A big score line indeed. And this is what BBF have to say.
Borak Says:
Spritzer:
With just 8 outfield players, everyone thought it would be a breeze for IC but boy oh boy, did the Hawks surprised them and all of us in the first period!
The first period saw the Hawks played a tight and compact defensive play. It was an effective strategy that saw them letting in only 2 goals. IC struggled to find their footing in the first 10 minutes of the game but managed to break the deadlock through Nicholas. With 2 goals down, will the Hawks stick to their conservative half-press strategy?
Well, they didn't. They came on the second period strong, pushing higher than before and at times caught IC off guard. Unfortunately for them, it didn't produce the intended result. The shift of game play broke the focus of Hawks' players and IC took advantage of them. Gaps were opened in the centre, giving ample space for Deswyn, Sam and Nic to tear Hawks defense apart. Of course, fatigue kicked in for UniHawks as well.
But with just 8 outfield players, the Hawks deserved a standing ovation for their courage and spirit. Great job guys!
Bendy:
The relegation battler started of surprisingly with only 8 outfield players and caused even greater shock as they shut out 15 strong Inne for a near 10 minutes before conceding their first. Their tactical discipline would have been an achievement if it weren't for the Nick-Roo combination which struck for the second time in the dying minutes of the first half.
Hawks shocked us all again by restarting the half in a totally different fashion. Instead of the ultra defensive strategy, then opted a high press, aiming for the lottery win. The gaps initiated the deadly duo, Sam and Deswyn as they were involved in 6 out of the 8 goals scored in the second half.
Ultimately, as expected, it was a win for Innebandy, but many wouldn't have expected UniHawks to put up a good fight in the first half with a handful of players, then daring enough to press for goals and still ending the game with rather high spirits. Thumbs up!
MOMs:
Like the previous game, MoM from both camps was decided between the one shinning in defence and the one other in offence.
For the Hawks, it was player/coach Christopher Koh who got the nod.
The defender who was tipped by the National Coach as the most impressive player from Korea's APAC outing certainly didn't disappoint his approval. Solid and strong in protecting the ball, making decisive interceptions and clearance, and fearless in giving Inne's attackers crunching bodychecks. UniHawks' defence looked more assured with his presence. It's such a shame his attacking qualities did not attract the same degree of mention, squandering the only few shooting chances the team managed to create.
As for Innebandy, the moody poacher, Nic Ong.
The forward is known to be inconsistently lethal, relying greatly on his form. Unfortunately for UniHawks, his form on Thursday night was sizzling hot. He opened the scoring and then buried another before the half, both assisted by Rooban, lucky charm of the night. Although he only managed to register in the dying moments of the match, his penetrative runs constantly threatened the stubborn defence of UniHawks and his shots, unlike most days, were rarely of the charts, he either hit the post or were denied by the goalkeeper. A rare "on" day for the forward and deservingly recognised as the MoM.
(NOTE: A heartfelt thanks to both Christopher Koh and Sam Teoh for giving their time for this interview. )
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