HIL 2025-26: Kane Russell hat-trick spurs comeback win for Governing Council over Bengal Tigers
HIL Governing Council (GC) needed another hat-trick from Kane Russell to overturn a deficit for a second-straight game and thrash Bengal Tigers 6-3 in the Hockey India League at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday.
The New Zealander made three breaches (19’, 36’, 44’) from penalty corners, rescuing GC after it conceded first, and then helping it thwart a late comeback from the defending champion.
Tigers could have been ahead in the first minute when Abhishek picked Jaskaran Singh behind him in the circle, who was thrown off track by James Mazarelo coming off his line. In the second minute, Abhishek spotted an incoming Enrique Gonzalez, who forced another save out of Mazarelo through the centre.
Tigers needed a penalty stroke to move past the string of misses and get on board. Mazarelo saved Jugraj Singh’s penalty corner but Simon Yorston’s foot blocked the ball at the line as it was nudging into the goal. Jugraj picked the top-left corner to comfortably beat the custodian.
The closest GC got in the opening quarter was through Sam Ward, who struck the post from Ajeet Yadav’s cross.
But four minutes into the second period, GC fired two goals in the space of 22 seconds to turn the contest on its head. Ward had little control over his deflection off Russell’s slap into the circle, but it crept into the right corner, far enough from custodian James Carr to have a chance at saving.
Seconds after the restart, Hardik Singh stole the ball and moved it up the pitch before Ajeet collected a penalty corner. Russell, who fired three from the set piece in the first match too, was on the mark again, going low and into the left corner.
Mazarelo had a hand in preserving GC’s lead in the 23rd minute. Gonzalez darted into the circle from the right side and pushed the ball at goal from a narrow angle. It crept between the GC sticks and was rolling into the goal if not for Mazarelo’s late intervention.
But in the 27th minute, Mazarelo could only be a spectator when Sukhjeet Singh’s reverse-stick hit rattled the crossbar.
If GC had edged ahead in the first half, it really put its foot on the Tigers’ neck in the second. Russell picked his second goal with a dragflick to the right side of the goal. In the 38th minute, Hardik dissected two Tigers defenders to pick Sudeep Chirmako through on goal. The forward moved two paces in front and fired his shot into the board.
Tigers took a leaf out of their opponent’s book and found the tempo for a quick rebuke inside a minute. Tom Grambusch first beat Mazarelo from a short corner. Only 55 seconds later, Abhishek trapped a pass from the left wing, blasted a shot at the keeper, which was parried away but found Christopher Ruhr to swat into the net.
The brief resistance that Tigers managed to put up was crushed by Russell, who completed his second hat-trick in as many games. He pierced the gap between Carr and the blocker at the line to restore the two-minute lead.
Tigers pulling out their keeper in the final minute only made matters worse. Albery James worked his way through the right wing and once past the defenders got a simple shot at an empty goal in the penultimate minute.
Published on Jan 07, 2026