NZA Men conclude a valuable campaign
New Zealand A Men concluded their campaign at the 2025 Hulunbuir Moqi Invitational Trophy in Inner Mongolia with a fourth-place finish after eight matches against a competitive international field of teams.
The tour marked the return of a New Zealand A Men’s team to international play for the first time in a number of years. The squad, composed of emerging talent from across the country, faced teams from Asia and Oceania in a format designed to challenge and develop players in high-pressure environments with hopes to help players push towards future Vantage Black Sticks selection.
Head Coach Sam Bartholowmew reflected on the tour, saying, “The tournament in China was a positive and incredible worthwhile experience. We faced quality opposition in a demanding environment, gaining valuable insights about our players. We hope to see several team members selected for the Vantage Black Sticks wider squad within the next 6 to 18 months."
The New Zealand side opened the tournament with a 2–4 loss to Korea before bouncing back with a solid 3-2 win over Australia. Momentum continued with victories against Japan and Tianjin, the latter a 7–1 result, including a fantastic hat trick by Captain Jordan Cohen, that served as a confidence boost heading into the final stages of the tournament.
The team pushed hard through to the end, earning draws in both their semi-final and final matches, narrowly missing out in shootouts.
The final match was particularly challenging as the NZA Men scored three quick goals in the first half to take a strong lead. However Australia gradually worked their way back into the game, eventually equalising with just 1 minute and 30 seconds remaining in the final quarter. Despite leading for the majority of the match, the team was forced into a shootout, where they were narrowly defeated, resulting in a fourth-place finish.
Looking back on the tournament, Captain Cohen reflected, “For a team that had very limited time together before taking the pitch, we gelled well and created a great culture which made for an enjoyable tournament. Naturally we were gutted not to take away any silverware having lost in back to back shoot outs but a lot of positives to take away.”
While the final result wasn’t what the team were chasing, the week provided invaluable experience for the squad and underscored the importance of development pathways like this.
Match Results:
NZA 2 – Korea 4
NZA 3 – Australia 2
NZA 3 – Inner Mongolia 4
NZA 2 – Japan 1
NZA 7 – TIA 1
NZA 0 – China 3
NZA 2 – Inner Mongolia 2 (Shootout: 3–4)
NZA 3 – Australia 3 (Shootout: 1–2)
The team now turns its attention to domestic commitments, and with the Premier Hockey League on the calendar for later this year followed by Vantage Black Sticks selections, it’s an exciting time for these players to continue momentum.