The Border star had put his hand up to umpire the representative side's match against Goulburn last Saturday, but had to dust off his playing strip when the Spitfires made a last-ditch attempt to cover the loss of their Victorians stranded in the state's lockdown.

And he didn't miss a beat, scoring the side's first goal in a hard-fought 4-2 loss against their more-fancied opponents.

"Hockey is in a weird situation at the minute where you've got plenty of backs and halves and midfielders, but not so many strikers up front," Beath said.

"I've still been hitting in goals for Norths in A grade and I suppose they wanted someone up there who could, not so much run because I'm a bit fat, but trap the ball and hold the ball up there for them.

"I wasn't really keen on it. I'll give you the hot tip (laughs).

"As a forward you kind of know where to stand and you might be lucky enough for the ball to fall near you and you can usually get a stick on it.

"It probably wasn't one of the best goals in the world, but I was in the right spot and that's all that matters.

"I'm not afraid of getting hit, so I like to get in there and mingle with them."

The 42-year-old has made a handful of appearances since he retired from state league hockey nine years ago, but relished the chance to line up alongside his son, Kurt, on home turf.

"I had a game with him two or three years ago in Canberra and that was the same sort of situation where they didn't have enough players," Beath said.

"We've played a lot at club level and won three premierships in a row together. He's far exceeding me now.

"That's the part I enjoy, but it's starting to be a far reach for me to play it.

"I think he envisioned he'd be a striker like myself, but he's playing defensive half at the minute and playing really good hockey there.

"I'm happier seeing him play there because he can make it his own role like I did as a forward.

"He's definitely found a better spot for himself and his hockey is improving all the time which is good to see.

"As long as that's happening that's all you've got to worry about and he's enjoying it a lot more too. You only play sport to enjoy it, you don't go out there to get angry at yourself."

Unbeknownst to Beath, his Spitfires' comeback also added to his mark as games record-holder, which was set to be levelled by former coach Tony Donnelley at 270, before he notched game number 271.

"I don't really keep track of that stuff, games are games, but I felt kind of bad because Tony would have equalled me and then he'd have it, so maybe I shouldn't have played," Beath laughed.

"He's done an awesome job with keeping that team together. He coached them for a couple of years and is still a fine player in his own right.

"I kind of want to see him get the accolades for it.

"There's no point focusing on a 42-year-old fat bloke like me when he's still playing good hockey (laughs)."

Beath will hold the record for at least one more week when he makes it 272 on Saturday.

The Spitfires are in the same boat this round with no Victorian players eligible to face United at Albury Hockey Centre at 2pm, due to the extension of the lockdown across the state.

Hockey Albury-Wodonga matches have been cancelled by the lockdown for the second week running.

The association confirmed the games lost will not be rescheduled across all competitions.

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