Bermuda's hockey scene has been transformed this year with the addition of new team Ravens to the women's B league.

Add to that the decision by Police Orioles to field only a B team this season and there are now two more sides in the B league than in the A, necessitating some creative scheduling on the part of hockey management.

The neophyte Ravens squad drew no favours when they came up against a strong Swallows squad in the first game of the season (Swallows 4 Ravens 0) and followed up last weekend with another defeat against defending B league champions, Cardinals. Thus, Ravens have started with two, scoreless losses.

Cardinals took the win on Sunday 2-0 but Ravens did show improvement over their first outing.

Ravens' players Melanie Symondson and Trina Zwarich ensured that the first half remained goalless although Cardinals were firm on attack. But Cardinals' continued pressure paid off late in the game as Candy Foggo scored after a goalmouth scramble. Ana Anton, assisted by Michelle Clarke, netted the second moments later.

Cardinals were happy to chalk up the win after drawing 0-0 against Police Orioles in a hard fought match on Saturday. Their record stands at 2-1-0 after two weeks play.

Orioles also held Swallows to a draw (1-1) in the opening week of play and results to date suggest competition will be very tight in the B league this year.

Swallows B shut out Canaries B 3-0 on Saturday to secure their second win of the the season.

Both teams were on attack but it was Swallows who were rewarded when Kim Stevens pushed a rebound back to the goal for Sarah Davies to tap in.

Swallows set the pace in the second half and an excellent cross found Karen Campbell at the top of the circle as they took a 2-0 lead. Jenny Burrell scored the third and final goal.

Swifts and Bluebirds also found themselves locked in a scoreless draw in weekend play. Both teams chalked up losses in the opening week, leaving them on the bottom rungs of the B league.

Women's A League

Defending champions Swallows came out strongly in their first game of the season over the weekend, pounding six goals against a scoreless Canaries squad.

Swallows dominated the first half with relentless attacking play. Liz Osborne netted the first goal after dribbling around the Canaries' keeper. Shelley Clement then scored from a short corner and Jenny Burrell added a third just before half-time.

Canaries had a penalty flick opportunity but first-time keeper Tiffany Sousa denied Rhonda Rawlins. While Canaries came out stronger in the second half, three more Swallows goals from Osborne, Rebecca Pettingill and Burrell completed the 6-0 rout.

Bluebirds defeated Swifts 4-0 over the weekend for their second win of the season, putting them on top of the league standings.

Playing without many of their regular first team members, Swifts managed to hold Bluebirds to a scoreless first half. The second half, however, was a different story as Kaywell Outerbridge opened the scoring for the Blues.

Moments later Natasha Nunes made it 2-0 and Sarah Smith continued the Bluebirds' attack with a third goal. A 4-0 victory was sealed for Bluebirds by Smith, as she scored her second goal of the game with an almost identical move to her first.

Last weekend Bluebirds held off a disorganised Cardinals squad 2-0.

Alternatively, it was the second loss for Swifts who found themselves scoreless against Canaries in the opening week of play, losing 5-0.

Men's League

A shortage of players has plagued the men's league in the opening two weekends of hockey.

Upstarts were unable to field a team against Chameleons this week, handing Chameleons their second win after the team pounded Police 6-0 the previous weekend.

Rebels secured their first win of the season in a seesaw battle against BCS Panthers (1-0).

Panthers concentrated their play down the middle of the pitch, while Rebels countered by taking the play wide. As each team struggled to find their finishing touches in front of goal, it was Rebels who eventually broke the deadlock in the 67th minute when Scott DeCosta scored what was to be the only goal of the game after a pass by Bert Rodney.

It was the second loss of the season for Panthers who went out short against Upstarts last weekend, losing 3-0.