Hockey grand final glory for Maccabi men

For the first time since 2003, two Maccabi Victoria Hockey Club teams have won Hockey Victoria metro premierships in the same season, in a giant boost and source of pride for Jewish hockey in Melbourne.

With an over-45 men’s grade C East grand final win by Maccabi already achieved on September 8, and the club’s women’s metro 1 side getting as deep as the semi-

finals, the focus turned to last Sunday afternoon’s men’s Metro 2 East decider between Maccabi and Old Melburnians – a team the Maccabi men lost 0-3 to in the first week of the finals series.

In warm and windy conditions at Hawthorn Malvern Hockey Centre, Maccabi rose to the occasion to win 2-1.

Captain Lior Aufgang – who the week before scored the winner in a 3-2 semi-final thriller over Old East Malvern – told The AJN it was “pure jubilation … and also a bit of a sense of relief” – for his teammates, for head coach Troy Williamson and assistant Joseph Brasacchio – when grand final victory was secured.