Stick-ing Together to Stick It Out: NSG Hockey (Boys) Finals 2025

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Bertram Wang (26S06H), Chen Ying (25A01C) and Looi Ee Xin (26S03M)

All photographs provided by Clara Grace Lim Zhi Yun (26S03A) from RIAC unless otherwise stated.

As a spectator walking into the stadium, the first scene you notice is the hockey players from both teams running laps, drenched by the sprinklers watering the pitch. The crowd is buzzing, councillors are drumming; both schools are setting the stage for one of the biggest NSG matches of the year. Then, for a moment, there is silence.

A Recap of the Match

RI starts. The ball flies. The boys run. The crowd roars.

Barely 5 minutes in, #21 Noor Adli Bin Raimi (25S03T) takes the shot. He scores. 1-0 to RI: a dream start for the team. Staying vigilant, they shift and put up a solid defence, saving three shots from VJ while maintaining pressure with 4 attempts of their own. Both sides are neck to neck, neither letting anything through. The first quarter ends in RI’s favour.

But the game was far from over—in fact, it had only just begun. The next quarter kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. Offence from both sides were relentless. VJ scores early and equalises, but RI’s #23 Ajay Shanmugam (26S03M) regains a 2-1 advantage, with a successful penalty shootout. It was a fierce tussle till the end of the quarter, as a bulletproof defence from RI blocked another 3 attempts from VJ.

Action left, right, centre.

Things switched up in the third quarter—not just the side of the pitch Team Raffles was playing on, but, unfortunately, our odds too. Our winning momentum was hampered by an unexpected goal from VJ. Even under immense pressure from a fierce VJ offensive, the next three attempts from VJ were well defended against by goalkeeper #1 Sarthak Basak (25S02C). Ending with a tie of 2-2, all eyes, all pressure, and all hopes were on the fourth and final quarter.

A wave of nervousness spread throughout the grandstand. Despite a certain uneasiness, the crowd continued to cheer their hearts out with anticipation and excitement. Both sides were anxious to score the defining point, they went all out. It was just a blur however when a bunch of players fell over each other. A whistle was blown—a penalty shot for RI was called.

Silence in the grandstand.

#8 Jaydon Poh Yi Kai (26S06C) steps forward, takes his time, swings his stick, AND SCORES. 3-2.

The captured moments right after the defining goal.

It was not time to celebrate just yet, though. With eleven minutes left on the clock, it was still anyone’s game. Just soon after, another penalty shot was called—this time for VJ.

Many attempts. One goal. Zero successful shots. It was a defensive masterclass from RI for ten straight minutes against a powerful and relentless VJ offensive, but with grit like no other, the RI players didn’t let anything through their bulletproof defence till the end.

A sigh of relief. A rush of dopamine. A sparkle of NSG Gold…

Behind the Sweetness of Victory…

However, victory definitely did not come easy—behind-the-scenes, much sweat and tears were shed during the preparation for the game. Going into this year’s match after losing to VJC last year, the boys were naturally eager to win.

“Last year, when we lost to VJC, we broke the winning streak that our seniors built up — I think it was about six years. We felt very bad, and we all wanted to get it back this year, for ourselves, but also for our team [and seniors].”
Ethan Wong Jun Ying, Captain (25S06K)

According to the players, the VJC team was known for their strong offensive playing style. In order to counter that, RI’s hockey team also adapted swiftly both training and player allocation. Stronger players were allocated to focus on defence in order to ensure a well-rounded balance. Meanwhile, the other team members had more specific attacking drills, focused on catching defenders off-guard. After winning against VJC in both an external league and in the earlier stages of the NSGs, the boys gradually gained confidence for the finals.

But, preparation for the match was not without challenges. Some VJC players played a different position from last year, making their strategy highly unpredictable and giving the VJC team an additional edge. Furthermore, the boys had to juggle evening training three times a week, on top of schoolwork and other commitments.

“I think it really helped that our teachers were very understanding. […] They encouraged me to focus on the season first and catch up with academics after. […] As a team, we would like to give all of our teachers a collective shout out.”
Raynard Lim, Vice Captain (25S06R)

Although trainings were tough, the team were united by a singular goal—taking home the title of this year’s “NSG champions”. With everyone aligned, the boys were able to derive joy from working hard together. For the Y6s, the final few training sessions leading up to NSG were especially sentimental, as they marked the last times playing together as a batch.

Often, the team’s best memories were made during training, when sessions went on without a hitch and they had the most fun. But it was also off the hockey pitch where the team found time to bond together over dinner, talking about their life outside of hockey.

Victory aside, one thing was clear: the team did not just win medals from the match—they came out stronger and won teammates they would treasure for life.

The team: