The men’s side recorded a comfortable 6-1 against the Falcons, while the women lost 3-0 to the Falcons. Both games were in Dunedin.
Striker Mezzy Surridge was one of the best for the women.
She had a cracking shot parried away and pushed another wide.
The 20-year-old Cantabrian was the leading scorer in the recent National Hockey Championship.
She felt her team created plenty of opportunities but lacked polish up front.
"I think we've got a good foundation and we'll be able to build on that," she said.
"It's just probably that execution, that final shot in the last pass just couldn't get pulled off and we couldn't put it away."
They won six penalty corners during the match but came up empty each time.
"We just couldn't convert them and I think that just comes from practice and making sure we make them count when we have them."
The Falcons effectively scored off one of those six penalty corners.
They forced a turnover and seconds later Kelsey Smith slapped in the opener. She added a second with the conversion.
The Alpiners had made virtually all of the play but suddenly trailed 2-0.
"There's lots of things we can improve on.
"We've got a great basic skill level and it's just about gelling it all together and knowing how everyone plays so we can get those connections together."
Surridge was named in the future Black Sticks squad earlier this year, so she is on course to represent New Zealand.
"That’s the dream. I've just got to keep working at it and do the things that I need to work on to get there."
Surridge felt the new Premier Hockey League would help players bridge the gap between the national league and international hockey.
"When you have fewer teams it means the talent is more condensed and the level just gets a little bit higher."
Men’s coach Aaron Ford was happy with the result but felt his side lagged in the second half.
The focus was to produce a more complete performance against the Mavericks.
He is a huge fan of the new tournament.
"It's great Hockey New Zealand's been able to pull this together and have four franchises on board that back it.
"It's an event that's here to stay and not just a sporadic one-off event.
"I think they've done a fantastic job to bring it to life."
