Busselton Hockey Association take out division two country championships title with dramatic shootout win

Busselton Hockey Association took out the country championships division two title with a dramatic grand final shootout win over Bunbury on Sunday. Knotted at 2-all after regular time in the decider at Perth Hockey Stadium, the two teams headed for one-on-ones. After initially falling behind in the shootout, Busselton were able to hold their nerve and capitalise on some late Bunbury misses to win 6-5. The win saw Busselton avenge a 2-1 loss to Bunbury earlier in the championships, with the team going through to the grand final by beating Avon, Eastern Districts, Roe Districts and Upper Great Southern during the group stages on Friday and Saturday. Other teams from around the South West also enjoyed some success at the carnival, with Bunbury claiming their third-consecutive division one title over Upper Great Southern — also via a shootout. Despite making it to the grand final, Margaret River were beaten 2-0 by Pilbara Krocs in the division three decider. The Margs side made it through to the big dance by topping their group in dominant style, beating Central Great Southern 3-0, Eastern Goldfields 5-0, Esperance 3-0 and Miling 1-0 throughout the group stages on Friday and Saturday.