Punjab Warriors have it easy against Kalinga Lancers

MOHALI: Five-time World player of the Year Jamie Dwyer rolled back the years and put in a scintillating display of skillful and inspirational hockey as Punjab Warriors put it across the Kalinga Lancers 4-2 in their second match of the Hero Hockey India League here at the Mohali International stadium.
The Lancers, however, were the attacking of the two teams during the initial stages of the game as the Warriors took time to settle down.Kiwi Ryan Archibald of the Lancers combined brilliantly with Indian forward Lalit Upadhyay, creating three clear scoring chances. They were rewarded in the 8th minute as Upadhyay managed to score after getting an Archibald pass from the right.
From there onwards it was an altogether different story. Punjab Warriors, egged on by a vociferous home crowd, piled on the pressure and raided the rival citadel several times. But the goal remained elusive as Lancers' goalkeeper Harjot Singh pulled off some exceptional saves.
It took two minutes of individual brilliance from Dwyer, who scored two quick goals to put the match right in the lap of the home team.
Punjab went into the half time leading by 2-1. After the break, they earned back-to-back penalty corners in the 37th minute. Penalty-corner expert Sandeep Singh, who till that point was having an off day, converted one of the two giving the Warriors a comfortable lead.
The match was put beyond doubt by Dharamvir Singh in the 49th minute after Dwyer cut in from the right and sent a through ball to the lurking striker, who made no mistake.