No 24th national title for the hockey players of HC Den Bosch. Amsterdam won a wonderful final, which remained undecided in regular time (2-2) after shootouts: 3-4. The home team was left without a prize after a difficult season.
Things could have gone either way at the Oosterplas after the 2-2 draw on Saturday. Babs Reijnen handed out the first sensitive blow – literally – at the end of the first quarter. She hit Noa Muller in the face with her stick. Intentional, the video referee found. So yellow and a ten minute penalty.
Despite the undernumbered situation, HC Den Bosch took the lead after a nice backhand from Lieve Wijckmans, who stole the ball from Sabine Plönissen and successfully went for his own luck: 1-0. Amsterdam in pursuit, but the home team simply survived with ten.
In the second half the game pattern changed and Amsterdam grabbed the momentum by striking mercilessly within two minutes via two striking penalty corners from Imke Verstraeten: 1-2.
Now it was the record champion’s turn again, because Amsterdam was on the title track with about twenty minutes to go. It was entertaining, especially exciting and many Den Bosch supporters will have lost their nails.
Thanks to Charlotte Englebert, who hit a penalty corner rebound four minutes before the end and had to wait a long time to see whether she had scored a valid goal according to the video referee, the score could again go either way: 2-2.
Heroic role of Abelen in shoot-outs?
The home team increased the pressure, Amsterdam aimed for the shoot-outs, as they reached the final at the expense of SCHC. Shootouts. Did Laurette Abelen crown herself the new hero of the Oosterplas? Felice Albers took advantage of her shoot-out, but Trijntje Beljaars missed the penalty after a foul on Marijn Veen and Freeke Moes also made a mistake. Fay van der Elst did score, but Ivy Tellier missed her attempt.
Thanks to Abelen’s heroic performance, Englebert was allowed to repeat the trick, just like a year ago. She didn’t: 2-2. Sudden death. Captain Pien Sanders again did not fail. Abelen was serenaded en masse, the pressure was on Van der Elst, who scored a penalty. No Beljaars, but Verstraeten who scored: 3-3.
Matla, who normally decides finals in Bosch’s favor, missed. Albers finished it off and gave Amsterdam its 23rd national title and plunged HC Den Bosch into mourning. No prizes and no European hockey next season.
