A group of young ice hockey players from Central Otago is fresh back from Australia after a tough, physical tournament where they held their own - winning four of seven games played.

Liam Sangster, Cole Hilton, Jay Clarke, and William Wallis were part of the Southern Spartans under-16 team that competed at the OnceHockey International tournament in Newcastle at the end of

October.

Team manager Hinano Bagnis said the Spartans put in a solid performance, given the amount of ice time they’d had together before heading across the Tasman and the intensity of the competition.

Watching the ‘all on’ play on the Aussie ice. Image: Supplied

Liam, a year 10 pupil at Cromwell College, captained the squad - an experience he described as an “honour”.

He said the Australian tournament was a step up from what his age group experiences in New Zealand.

“It was full contact - different to what we do here in our under-16s, where there are no open-ice hits’,” he said.

“Over there, it was all on. It was a lot more physical. We had to learn very quickly how to keep our heads up and move the puck around.”

He admitted it could be tough at times.

Southern Spartans players take a break to see the Sydney sights during the OnceHockey International tournament. Image: Supplied

“When people were sore, getting thrown around a wee bit, I tried to lift everyone’s spirits,” he said.

“It was pretty rewarding - just seeing everyone come together so quickly.”

Liam, who also recently captained the New Zealand under-16 national team, said he loves ice hockey as it combines the best bits from other sports - with the added challenge of the ice.

“It has the physicality of rugby…and the passing and quick movement that basketball has,” he said.

Players from Queenstown, Tekapo and Dunedin joined the crew from Cromwell and Alexandra to round out the team.

Hinano said all the young players were passionate about the sport, and the trip was “a great team adventure”.