Narrogin’s emergency services claim third win in annual Blue Light WA hockey clash with high school students

Shedding the uniform and picking up a hockey stick, the Narrogin emergency services ran away with a third victory for the Blue Light WA hockey game against local senior students last month. Blue Light WA is a partnership between Police and Community Youth Centres and WA Police Force that facilitates a wide range of events that foster fun engagement between young people and police. The annual game enables Narrogin Senior High School students to build a supportive and lively relationship with their local emergency service crews. Reigning champions Team Police celebrated a three-peat success after crunching Team High School 2-0 in a fierce clash at the Narrogin turf on September 14. Police were strong in their opening attack, despite the first term being an arm wrestle, and went ahead with an early goal by Const. Keiran Langridge. Their opponents’ rapid advance ignited a fire under High School players, spurring them forward in a relentless second quarter charge. High School kept the ball primarily in their side, pressuring goalie Sen. Const. Andy Spencer, who managed to block every shot batted in his direction. The high pace continued into the third quarter as High School battled desperately to crack the scoreboard, yet the younger side struggled to convert their efforts. A thrilling final quarter saw an intense back and forth, but Police managed to stay steady and keep control, leading to a domino of key plays which handed Steven Durell, a teacher and ring-in for Police, the winning goal. Sen. Const. Matthew Payne said Blue Light events are important for building good relationships between Narrogin students and emergency services. “I’ve been doing Blue Light events for about eight years now in a couple different towns and I’ve found they’re a good way of bridging that gap and connection with the kids,” he said. “It’s one of many events that we do and we really enjoy it, we love getting involved and making that human connection.”