All Ireland hockey league round-up as Ulster Elks stage late fightback to earn a bonus point against leaders while Ards draw comfort in shootout win over Pegasus… report, scores, scorers and standings

Zahra Lowry's late equaliser completed Elks comeback against Loreto last time out

ULSTER Elks pulled off a miraculous comeback on their trip to league leaders Loreto in Dublin.

Loreto looked to be cruising to a 3-0 win thanks to an early goal from Rachel Kelly, and a brace from Siofra O’Brien. However, Elks had other ideas, turning the game around in just six minutes with goals from Anna Mollenhauer, Shannon McNellis, and a 69th minute goal from Zahra Lowry to level the game and force the shoot-out. Elks piled further woe onto Loreto, securing a 3-2 win in the shoot-out to take home the bonus point. Loreto have now dropped points in four of their last five games, giving other sides a crucial chance to make up further ground.

Nothing could separate Ards and Pegasus yet again as the sides had to settle for another draw. Home side Ards took an early lead through who else but Zara Malseed, but Pegasus were level before half-time when Sophie Moffett found the net. Neither team could break the deadlock in the second half, resulting in the shoot-out. Alana Doyle produced the decisive moment when she converted her penalty shoot-out attempt to give Ards a 3-2 lead, and the bonus point.

Catholic Institute will have to wait to try close the gap with Loreto. Had they picked up a win against UCC on Saturday, they would have been within three points of the current league leaders. However, the arrival of Storm Bert meant their game against UCC in the Mardyke will have to be played at a later date.

Old Alex had to come back from 3-1 down to eventually draw the game and come away with a bonus point against UCD. A Leah O’Shea brace and a goal from Orla Young-Hughes gave the student their commanding lead, with the Old Alex goal coming from Elena Neill. Two goals in quick succession from Isabella Dunlop and Allie Heatherington drew Old Alex level and took them to a shoot-out, which they eventually won.

Railway Union’s revival continued when they won the Dublin derby at Serpentine Avenue. A Lily Lloyd brace and Roisin Upton penalty corner saw Railway comfortably in the driving seat going into the final quarter. The win, Railway’s fourth in a row, sees them climb further up the table into third.

Loreto remain top of the table on 24pts, with Old Alex, Railway Union, and Catholic Institute now closer than ever on 18. Catholic Institute also have a game in hand, giving them the opportunity to retake second and close the gap at the top to just 3pts. Ulster Elks climb up one place to fifth on 15pts, and Pembroke drop down a spot to sixth on 14. The positions on the bottom four remain unchanged, as Pegasus remain in seventh on 13pts, UCD in eighth on 11pts, Ards in ninth on 10, and UCC in tenth on 6 points with a game in hand.