On 5 November, the usual silence of the Galleria after school was interrupted by the loud clattering of hockey sticks, as students warmed up in preparation of this semester’s ball hockey tournament.

A total of four teams were competing for the tournament trophy, with games consisting of two five-minute periods. Each team played the others once on Wednesday, resulting in the elimination of one team and the top team receiving a free pass for the finals on 6 November.

The second day of the tournament started off with an intense battle in semi-finals, with the Eulers gaining an early 2-1 advantage, but an unexpected rally by their opponents in the second period led to an ending of 2-4. Eulers’ goalie, Mr. van Bemmel, expressed his disappointment as he “thought we had a good shot at the finals”.

If anything, this only foreshadowed the dramatic final confrontation of the tournament, where a violation by the opposing team saved team Youngunz from 0-2 to 0-1 in the first period, but the opposing offense continued against the shorthanded team, leading to a 3-1 deficit by the start of the third and final period. However, Youngunz was able to turn the tide, scoring a staggering 4 goals including a hat trick, claiming a 5-3 final victory. The team members reflected upon the game and said that “despite losing momentum (in the first period), we gained it back after a goal by Maaz and assisted by Waseem”.

However, the tournaments were not entirely fun and games, as several players sustained injuries due to collisions, with some unable to continue playing. When asked about this, Mr. van Bemmel, also a referee, said, “the injuries are not too serious…for many years it’s been pretty reasonable” and added that “if it wasn’t, I’ll stop doing it”.

Most students seemed to enjoy the experience regardless of results, with many planning to continue participating in future tournaments. Athletic Convenor Michelle Nyamekye noted that “there was about as many teams as last year” and encourages more students to join in next semester’s tournament in February.

The Youngunz consisted of : Abdullah Khota, Waseem Vawda, Maaz and Saad Jogiat, Aasim Patel, Aabid Daya, Sulu, and Coach Vasu.