UCD Men's Hockey got their new year off to a decent start after nearly two months break due to the snow and ice, drawing against Irish Hockey League Semi Finalists Corinthian on Saturday but rode their luck slightly as Chris Pellow missed a stroke for the reds.

Indeed it was touch and go when both team arrived, an hour before the game, whether frost on the pitch at UCD would force another weeks break but, after hard work from the UCD Sports Centre Staff, the pitch was deemed playable by the umpires and the game commenced.

The in the first half UCD started the stronger with promising attacking play from captain Tim Hill and Ben Dobson, converted to the forwards from his previous role at right back. The most clear chance of the half came when a ball was intercepted in Corinthian's half and the ball fell to Luke Chadwick at the top of the circle but Corinthian keeper Ross Murray got the slightest of touches on the shot and the ball went wide for a corner. Corinthian had their own chances too, the majority coming from crash balls which fizzed across the face of goal but none took the desired deflection. The first half ending 0-0.

The visitors did step up in the second half, earning their stroke when a cross bounced up and hit Shane O’Donnell’s body on the line – UCD argued no Corinthian stick touched it en route and a corner was the call but the 46th minute penalty stood. Chris Pellow stepped up but fired the shot off the cross bar to the relief of the students.

Four minutes later, John Brennan took a corner off the line while the game became more fraught and frantic in the closing phases, with numerous green cards, culminating in Pellow striking out and being sent off to spend the remainder of the game on the sideline with 5 minutes to go. Corinthian's Venezuelan international Lucas Piccioli caused a few scares towards the end the scares while Andrew Sutton bossed the midfield exchanges.

But the students crowded them out, with a strong performance from Hugh Butler and Keith Kenning one of the key men in the defence in one of his first starts for UCD.