The breakthrough finally came early in the second period when engineering freshman Ramanan Ravendran capitalised on poor marking to slot the ball past the Eusoff keeper and send his fellow Eusoffians into raptures. Temasek’s woes mounted when Ravendran added a second goal to his tally a few minutes later.

The proceedings then got to a head when scuffles erupted, and key players from both teams were made to serve two minute sit-out penalties by the umpires.

Determined not to give up without a fight, Temasek showed much grit and resilience by pulling a goal back. However, their hopes were dented again when Eusoff scored a crucial third goal in the final period.

With their two-goal cushion restored, Eusoff were contented to defend and soak up the pressure as Temasek dominated possession. The tactic did not work however as Temasek scored a second goal to set up an anxious climax to the contest. But Eusoff managed to hang on to their lead until the final whistle.

Speaking after the match, Eusoff captain Jasmeet Singh said that his side “deserved to win” and paid tribute to his goalkeeper’s heroics during the match.

The third-year pharmacy student said, “We had a gameplan in mind and we executed it really well. We got our goals and kept it (the defence) tight till the end.

“I think our keeper was the man of the match today after he made some brilliant saves.”

Defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for Temasek captain Berton Lim, whose side boasted two national team players in its ranks. The business sophomore lamented on ‘wasted chances’ by his side.

“We kept on shooting. But the goals did not come. Plus, their keeper made some good saves,” said Lim.

Lim also said that he instructed his charges not to throw in the towel despite trailing by two goals in the second period.

“There was this belief among the boys. None of us would give up until the whistle was blown,” he said. “We fought for every ball, with one hundred percent effort. But time was not on our side, so credit to them (Eusoff).”

Two-goal hero Ravanan Ravendran refused to heap praise on himself, instead attributing the win to Eusoff’s collaborative team effort, and highlighting the importance of “settling down” the nerves after two goals in quick succession.

“It was a very tense game until we got the two goals, which then allowed us to breathe and compose ourselves. But they managed to score one goal and then we pushed ourselves for the third goal,” he said.

“We knew that it was safe, after the third goal.”

Ravendran added that the tactics employed by Eusoff to curb the threats posed by Temasek’s key players were “spot on”.

“They had two national players. We had to stick to our defensive game when the two were on court. And when they were substituted, we attacked,” said Ravendran. “Our captain managed to mark the two out of the game, and he did an excellent job.”

Eusoff and Temasek have alternated as IHG men’s floorball champions since 2008. The women’s floorball competition will commence on Feb. 7.