Himachal, Uttar Pradesh enter men's roller hockey final; Haryana topped group in inline-hockey 

Himachal Pradesh edged out defending champions Chandigarh in a thrilling semi-final encounter to enter the final of the men's roller hockey event at the 61st National Skating Championship held at Sector 10 Skating Rink, Chandigarh, on Tuesday.

Himachal Pradesh will now face last year's silver medalist, Uttar Pradesh, in the final. Both semi-finals in the men's roller hockey were intense, with both matches going into penalty strokes to determine the winners.

In the first semi-final, Himachal Pradesh bested Chandigarh in sudden death. After both sides were tied at 1-1 in regulation time, the match proceeded to penalty strokes. In the shootout, both teams managed to convert two chances, leveling the score at 2-2 (3-3). In sudden death, Chandigarh missed an opportunity, while Himachal Pradesh capitalized on theirs, ultimately sealing the match 4-3.

The second semi-final between Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir was equally competitive, also entering penalty strokes and eventually sudden death to decide the winner.

After both sides were deadlocked at 1-1 at the end of the second half, the match went to penalty strokes. Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir converted two chances each, leading to sudden death. Uttar Pradesh scored a goal in sudden death, while Jammu & Kashmir missed their chance, resulting in a 4-3 victory for Uttar Pradesh, securing their second successive final in the nationals.

In senior men's inline hockey, Haryana topped their group, winning all four matches in the league stage, while Chandigarh finished second with three wins in four matches.

On the other side, Punjab finished atop their group with victories in three matches. Rajasthan secured the second position with three wins in four league matches. As Punjab defeated Rajasthan in the league stage, so Punjab was placed ahead of Rajasthan. 

In the senior men's inline hockey semi-finals, Haryana will face Rajasthan, while Punjab will clash with Chandigarh.

Results: 

Senior men's Roller Hockey 

Semi-finals: Himachal Pradesh bt Chandigarh 4-3; Uttar Pradesh bt Jammu & Kashmir 4-3.