Mitch Brady put away the sole goal for the Rosellas midway through the encounter to record a 1-0 victory at Newcastle International Hockey Centre.

"The guys are pretty stoked but hopefully that's just the yardstick for us for the rest of the year," Wests captain Chris Boyle told the Newcastle Herald.

Also in round one and Souths lost 3-1 to visitors Maitland while last year's wooden spooners Tigers held hosts Gosford to a 0-all draw.

Ben Hanlan scored for Souths, who no longer have the services of Australian under-21 representative Nathan Czinner.

Tigers coach Ben Brown says he was "reasonably happy" with the display".

"We have a lot of new guys in the group so things are still clunky but there were some positive signs," Brown said.

The men's Hunter Coast Premier League resumes after Easter.

Meanwhile, a Newcastle District Women's Hockey Association announcement on Sunday revealed Sharon Williams has stepped down as president.