Scotland held to a draw and Atlantic Series ends as a tie

Scotland men’s final match of the Atlantic Series against the USA ended in a 1-1 draw at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre, resulting in the series finishing as a tie.

Scotland’s Michael Bremner opened the scoring for the hosts in the first quarter, but the visitors struck back just as the final portion of the game began, Aki Kaeppler finding the net for them.

11 July 2018 at the National Hockey Centre, Glasgow Green. Scotland men v USA, match 3 – photos by Duncan Gray

Determined to put on a great display and clock up a series-winning victory after Monday’s 3-1 defeat, the Blue Sticks started strongly, creating multiple chances. Their opponents looked threatened and under pressure in defence and Scotland sought to take advantage with some early attacks.

They continued to bombard the US with a series of penalty corners. Twice successively Willie Marshall was denied, but when it came to the third attempt Bremner capitalised, finishing emphatically from close range to give Scotland the lead.

While Scotland’s dominance started to wean as the half progressed, they still looked comfortable on the ball and the US offered little in attack.

That changed when the visitors started to offer more of an attacking threat in the second quarter. Their chances remained few and far between, but they managed to trouble the Scotland goal once or twice, and there was a feeling that Scotland would need to double their advantage to ensure victory.

After a mostly quiet third quarter, the US then rocked the hosts at the start of the fourth, Kaeppler’s goal levelling things up with just 15 minutes remaining.

Scotland pushed forward in a bid to regain the lead, however found themselves frustrated by a resilient and organised American defence. In the game’s dying moments the blue sticks were denied several opportunities and a penalty claim, and the game finished all level. The series ended in a tie after three competitive matches at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.

Find out more about the Scotland men’s squad HERE

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