Brian Okodi, Jackson Musinguzi, and Aaron Mutenyo scored a combined 13 goals on Independence Day in Lugogo to keep their chase for the 2025 National Hockey League season men’s top scorer’s gong alive.
First, Okodi put Weatherhead up early in the 4th minute in an 8-0 win over Rockets. Then netted another two in the final quarter to take his season tally to 37 goals in 15 matches.
Timothy Ntumba (3), Umar Mufumbiro, and Ashiraf Tumwesigye also scored for Weatherhead as they moved to 35 points.
Musinguzi scored just two to move his season tally to 29 goals as Wananchi beat Makerere University 10-0. But his teammates were clearly looking for him to stretch his tally as they constantly allowed him to take on penalty corner duties in the match.
Elias Okello and Emmanuel Baguma also bagged braces while Abdul Karim Wamala, Shafiq Byamukama, Martin Okello, and Innocent Tumukunde also scored one apiece as Wananchi kept their seven point lead at the top with three matches to end the season.
Availability matters
Meanwhile, Mutenyo looked like he was not going to enjoy the party. He has missed a few games for his team and was trailing on 19 goals before Thursday.
He had scored just twice by the end of the third quarter as Kampala Hockey Club (KHC) Stallions led Wananchi Wabalozi 11-0. The other goals had come from Alfred Agaba (3), Jordan Mpiima (2), Emmanuel Stewart Ssempebwa (2), James Mugisha, and Richard Ssemwogerere.
In the final quarter, Mutenyo ran riot scoring seven more as KHC doubled their lead to 22-0 and took the number of goals scored that afternoon to 40. Mpiima added three and Brian Gilbert Bayuule got the other as KHC kept second with 36 points.
Okodi and Mutenyo’s sides face off later this month and history has showed that their will be marginal gains for them, if any, in that match.
But after that Weatherhead play Makerere University and Badgers in November. Okodi, the favourite to win this award, scored a hat-trick in a 9-0 win over Makerere in the first round but did not score in their 2-2 draw with Badgers.
KHC will then also take on mid-table sides Thunders and Rockets, whom they beat 2-0 with Mutenyo – who now has 28 goals – scoring one.
The two, however, have worry as Musinguzi has only sides in the lower half of the table in Badgers, KHC Originals, and Weatherhead Titans left to play. Musinguzi did not score in the 6-1 first round win over Badgers but scored once in the 10-1 win over Titans and twice in the 13-3 win over Originals.
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
INDEPENDENCE DAY RESULTS – MEN
Weatherhead 8-0 Rockets
Wananchi 10-0 Makerere University
KHC Stallions 22-0 Wananchi Wabalozi
Men’s Table
Wananchi 15 14 1 0 162 19 43
KHC Stallions 15 11 3 1 107 19 36
Weatherhead 15 11 2 2 126 17 35
Thunders 15 8 0 7 53 46 24
Rockets 15 7 2 6 50 51 23
Badgers 15 6 3 6 57 36 21
KHC Originals 15 5 3 7 37 73 18
Makerere University 15 3 1 11 18 73 10
Weatherhead Titans 15 2 1 12 24 73 7
Wananchi Wabalozi 15 0 0 15 4 233 0