By Alex Webbe
Thermal (Reg Whyte, Ramiro Gonzalez, Hayward Pardue and Dayelle Fargey) turned it on in the final chukker as it handed Parklane (Bill Garlock, Remy Muller, Champ Roth and Doug Blumenthal) an 11-6 defeat to capture third place in the 2012 Lions Cup 4-goal tournament at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California in Sunday’s competition.
Thermal took an early 3-1 lead as Ramiro Gonzalez scored two goals from the field and added a 60-yard penalty conversion. Parklane picked up one goal from Doug Blumenthal, trailing by two goals, 3-1 at the end of the first chukker.
The two teams traded goals in the second with Reg Whyte adding two more penalty goals for Thermal while Remy Muller scored one goal from the field and one goal on a penalty shot. Thermal continued to lead by two goals, 5-3.
The Parklane defense showed up big in the third chukker, shutting out the Thermal offense. Two more goals from Muller tied it up at 5-5 after three chukkers of play.
Champ Roth scored the go-ahead for Parklane to open the fourth chukker with another goal from the field, 6-5. Whyte responded with a tying penalty conversion and Gonzalez put Thermal back in the lead, 7-6 with his fourth goal of the game.
Abby Riggs, filling in for Fargey, scored four unanswered from the field as Thermal rode on for the 11-6 victory.
Gonzalez and Riggs scored four goals apiece for the Thermal win. Whyte added three penalty goals.
Muller led the Parklane offense with four goals. Roth and Blumenthal scored single goals in the loss.