Panther pounces for Pembroke

Pembroke Wanderers’ place in the last 16 of the EuroHockey League is almost secure, after a stunning late salvo from Brandon Panther secured a 4-3 win over Ukrainian champions Olimpia Kolos Sekvoia in Eindhoven this morning.

Having lost 600 caps’ worth of playing experience over the summer, Pembroke will have been glad to have been pitted against the tournament’s lowest-ranked side, and early goals from Craig Wilson and Patrick Good seemed to have them cruising. But they sloppily let that advantage slip, and the Ukrainians led 3-2 inside the final quarter before new South African signing Panther potted a penalty corner before slamming home a thunderbolt reverse-stick shot in the dying minutes. “The win was important, as we have a fairly new team and it was a gelling experience for us,” said Pembroke’s Paddy Conlon. “It all came together in the end, but we don’t like to win them like that.” Pembroke will not want to be heading into tomorrow’s encounter with Dutch giants HGC needing a result, so will be banking on a likely victory for the latter against minnows Sekvoia today. With two sides to qualify from the three-team pool, that would secure the Dubliners’ passage to the knock-out stages for the second successive season.