WA Indoor players riding high after stellar performances in the Big Apple

Two of Western Australia’s best indoor players are riding high off the back of stellar performances at a United States tournament.

Monique Formilan and Cameron Pell ventured to the United States to represent Australia at the Big Apple Indoor Tournament, which took place in Philadelphia from Friday March 1 to Sunday March 3.

Formilan and Pell were selected into the National Indoor squads off the back of stellar performances throughout the 2024 Hockey Australia Indoor Championships in January.

Under the guidance of WA-based head coach Lauren Austin, the Australian Women’s team put up a dominant front throughout the three-day tournament.

The Women’s squad pulled off a perfect run, winning the Championship without dropping a single game.

Monique Formilan said having the opportunity to play internationally was an amazing experience she won’t forget.

“It was exciting to meet and play with a new group of girls – we had never played together before, so it was great to see how quickly we bonded as a team and were able to play some really good indoor together,” she said.

“Competing in the US exposed us to new opposition and styles of play, and it was great to watch the team grow throughout the tournament.

“Winning was very exciting and it showed us that we can compete at a high level.

“It’s awesome to see the development of indoor hockey in Australia and I’m really excited to see what the next few years bring.”

Meanwhile in the Men’s competition, the Australian team were an imposing presence, pulling off big wins to earn themselves a spot in the Championship match.

However, the squad would fall just short of pulling off the win, going down to OKD FHC 6-2.

Cameron Pell said it was a huge honour to have been selected to represent Australia at the Big Apple Tournament.

“Competing in the US was very exciting, and it was interesting to learn how hockey is run over there in terms of college teams and their national programs,” he said.

“During the competition we were facing teams from Canada and the US which gave us plenty of exposure to quality indoor hockey.

“Overall, the hockey was amazing because of the indoor centre they had in Philadelphia which made me very excited for the new venue we are getting here in WA.”

FULL RESULTS

Women’s

Australia drew Philly Hockey Club 2-2

Australia defeated Virginia Beach Rockfish 17-0

Australia defeated USA Masters 035 12-0

Australia defeated DC Dragons 12-0

Semi Final: Australia defeated GBTI GCC 10-1

Final: Australia defeated Thirsty Turtles 4-2

Men’s

Australia defeated DC Dragons 20-0 (Pell 26’ goal)

Australia defeated USA Eagles 3-2

Australia defeated Lions FHC 035 5-4

Australia drew OKD FHC 3-3

Semi Final: Australia defeated Lions FHC 11-1

Final: Australia defeated by OKD FHC 2-6