Imagine standing in goal wearing 30-odd-kilograms of pads, staring straight at an opposition player ready to whack a hockey ball past you, with a chorus of screaming home fans on the edge of their seats, and the game to be decided by what happens next. That's exactly the high-pressure situation Canberra Chill goalkeeper Rene Hunter found herself in on Friday night against the Brisbane Blaze at Lyneham. And like the heroics of Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold at the Women's World Cup, Hunt emerged triumphant in a thrilling 2-2 (3-2) penalty shootout win, to edge the Chill closer to sealing a finals berth. After not playing the last two games for Canberra, Hunter was the hero with three massive saves to deny the Blaze. "It definitely was an intense match," Hunter said. "It was a must-win, and it was a bit nerve-wracking not having played in two games. "It can be pretty overwhelming in a shootout, especially in front of a home crowd with everyone standing behind the goal cheering, so I just tried to stay calm. "Canberra really turned it on." Canberra had to start the match without Irish international Roisin Upton and former Hockeyroo Edwina Bone but Hunter said the team were able to quickly adapt to the early setback. "We've been rolling different players throughout the defensive line consistently," Hunter said. "So there's plenty of depth." The Chill trailed until the 31st minute when Kalindi Commerford scored and then added a conversion to level the game 2-2, before Hunter stepped up in a big way. "It's kind of hard in the moment because you get that little celebration, you've got eight seconds of elation, and then you've got to switch on again for another shot," she said. "You've got to be fast and agile to react because you're padded up and the field player is not. "Last time I weighed myself with my gear on it's about 25 to 30 kilos on top of you. A lot of the foam can absorb water from the turf so the sweatier and wetter it gets, the heavier it gets." Hunter's display put the Chill in the box seat for finals, with next Friday's final-round showdown with HC Melbourne set to decide their fate. "Melbourne are right on the edge of making finals as well, so it will be a very good contest," Hunter said. "It's just like being in a shootout." The Chill men, meanwhile, failed to hold onto an early lead to lose to Brisbane 6-4. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: