Mac Reith-Snare
At the beginning of this year’s Premier League hockey season there was a cloud of doubt hovering over the competition, with players and administrators alike unsure if they would see any hockey played in the Central West in 2020.
Fast forward 4 months and the region’s elite hockey teams are gearing up for their respective playoff runs.
After being forced to wait an unprecedented 3 months for their season to start, the Premier League’s committee didn’t want to waste any time. And neither did the players.
Launching into round one as soon as the government gave the green light, teams from across the Central West began battling it out for a top-four spot.
It didn’t take long for the competition to heat up, with reigning champions Lithgow Panthers and Bathurst St Pats emerging as early premiership favourites.
Video: Central West Premier League Hockey
But as the season grew older, Orange Confederates got better. And so began the hotly contested race for a position in the ladder’s top-two.
Lithgow continued to assert their dominance on the league, finishing in first place and claiming yet another minor premiership after going undefeated through eight games.
Going into the final weekend of regular season play, Panthers’ opponent in the major semi-final was still to be determined with Bathurst St Pats and Orange Confederates tied on 14 points.
The fourth and final semi final spot was also coming down to the wire, with Parkes United, Orange Ex-Services and Orange CYMS all vying for that last position.
Photo: Central West Premier League Hockey
As late season drama would have it, both Confederates and St Pats would win on the final day of the regular season and remain tied on points.
Confederates would go on to clinch their maiden major semi-final berth on goal difference, leaving Bathurst to settle for third.
Audio: Mac Reith-Snare
After beating Parkes away from home, CYMS booked themselves a date with St Pats in the competition’s minor semi-final.
In a season that at one point seemed so improbable, the impossible has happened.
The ability to crown a champion.
It all starts this Saturday with Lithgow Panthers hosting Orange Confederates at 1:30pm and Bathurst St Pats hosting Orange CYMS at 2:15pm, with the Grand Final being live-streamed via Premier League Hockey.