By Jonty Ralphsmith
The Cardinia Storm unveiled its inaugural men’s team on Saturday, with the unit kickstarting a new era for the club with a comfortable 5-0 victory.
After establishing as a women’s only club in 2023, Cardinia attracted several former hockey players back to the sport, alongside a slew of juniors who make up the first ever men’s squad.
Zena Nicholas kicked the men’s unit’s first ever goal, with Taylor Rae finding the top right from a penalty corner soon thereafter.
After a strong effort led by coach Peter Kelly in preseason to build the fitness and fundamental skills of players in preseason, Cardinia’s ability to run and slingshot from defence was a feature throughout the game.
“We kept the pressure on all day, didn’t run out of legs and hit the scoreboard in every quarter,” Wright said.
“The forwards were linking up really well and getting into the right spots.”
Skipper Scott Burnett slotted two goals but also set teammates up, with that selflessness infiltrating youngster Harry Bryon who linked up well and opened up space for teammates in the front half on debut.
Meanwhile, the women sneaked away with a 2-2 draw, with debutante Ashleigh Burnett scoring both the goals for the hosts against Mentone.
Burnett found the back of the net in the first minute of the game, before Mentone got on top in general play for a sustained period through the middle of the game.
After skipping away to a 2-1 win, Burnett hit back with a minute on the clock in Cardinia’s ast role of the dice to ensure her team came away with a point.
The men have Frankston next week, which started its season with a 4-3 loss, while the women have Old Haileybury.
