Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], January 12 : SG Pipers secured their first win in the Men's Hockey India League (HIL) 2025-26, prevailing 2-1 against Hyderabad Toofans at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium on Monday.
Tomas Domene bagged a brace for the winners, while goalkeeper Tomas Santiago was remarkable between the sticks. For the Toofans, Amandeep Lakra got on the scoresheet, as per a press release from HIL.
SG Pipers hit the ground running in this contest, dominating the opening minutes of the contest. They earned a succession of penalty corners before eventually converting one through Tomas Domene's (8') dragflick that gave them the early lead. The Pipers had six penalty corners in the first fifteen minutes, while their opponents had none, underscoring their superiority. Hyderabad Toofans grew into the game, though, registering five circle entries, but they only had one attempt on goal to show for all their possession.
The Toofans continued to hold the lion's share of possession at the start of the second quarter, pushing their opponents back. They had 12 circle entries and four penalty corners, registering seven shots on goal, but they yielded no result. Instead, it was the SG Pipers that bagged their second goal against the run of play after some exceptional work from Roman Duvekot set up Tomas Domene (29') for his brace, giving his side a 2-0 advantage at half-time.
Despite the deficit, Hyderabad Toofans remained on the front foot in pursuit of a goal that would bring them back into the game. They registered 8 circle entries and a couple of penalty corners in the third quarter. Tomas Santiago was stellar in goal for the Pipers, but his resistance was eventually broken as Amandeep Lakra (41') found the back of the net with his dragflick, giving the Toofans a fighting chance with the score at 2-1 heading into the final quarter.
Clinging onto their one-goal advantage, the SG Pipers were resolute in defence as the Toofans kept attacking in waves. Hyderabad Toofans had 16 circle penetrations and six penalty corners in the final quarter, along with a golden opportunity from a penalty stroke.
However, Tomas Santiago denied Zachary Wallace from the spot and remained exceptional in goal, also pulling off a stupendous double save in the dying embers to ensure SG Pipers got over the line to seal their first win of the tournament.
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