This DecemberDumfries Ice Bowl will be hosting the 2024 IIHF ICE HOCKEY U20 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Division II, Group A. With Great Britain competing against Spain, Korea, China, Netherlands and Lithuania.
What a great opportunity for all our young players to see first hand what it is like to play for Great Britain. And to make it even more accessible they are offering discounted group bookings. Check out the details below.
Scottish ice hockey fans have reason to celebrate as five remarkable young talents from our country have earned their spots on the BG Under 18s Women’s GB Long-list squad. These talented players, some of whom have honed their skills abroad, are now gearing up to represent their country at the highest level of competition. Join us in congratulating these exceptional athletes on their well-deserved recognition.
The BG Under 18s Women’s GB Long-list squad is a testament to the dedication, skill, and determination displayed by these young women. Their journey to securing a spot on the GB squad has been marked by countless hours of training, relentless passion for the sport, and unwavering commitment to their craft.
With 29 remarkable athletes making up the squad, the competition for spots was undoubtedly fierce. The fact that five Scottish players have made the cut speaks volumes about the caliber of ice hockey talent emerging from the region.
Preparations in Full Swing
The squad’s journey doesn’t end with the announcement of the long-list. In fact, it’s only the beginning. These young athletes are gearing up for their next challenge, which involves meeting at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham on October 15th. This gathering is an essential part of their preparations for the highly anticipated Four Nations tournament, set to take place this year in Jaca, Spain.
Intriguing Competition Awaits
The Four Nations tournament promises to be an exciting test of skill, strategy, and teamwork for the GB Under 18s Women’s squad. From November 8th to 13th, they will go head-to-head with three formidable opponents: Iceland, Poland, and the host nation, Spain. These matches will not only provide a thrilling spectacle for fans but also offer valuable experience and exposure for the players.
Road to the Women’s World Championship
The Four Nations tournament is not just a standalone event; it’s a crucial part of Team GB’s preparation for the 2024 Women’s World Championship Division II Group A in Heerenveen, scheduled for January 15th to 21st, 2024. Competing on the world stage at this level is a dream come true for these young athletes, and their participation in these international tournaments will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping their careers.
Supporting the Future Stars of Scottish Ice Hockey
As these five Scottish ice hockey players embark on this exciting journey, it’s essential for fans and supporters to rally behind them. Their success represents not only their individual achievements but also a collective triumph for Scottish Ice Hockey.
READ ICE HOCKEY UK ANNOUNCEMENT
Tournament passes for the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena are now on sale.
Running from 29th April to 5th May 2023, it will be one of the most prestigious international ice hockey events ever to be held on home ice in the UK, with promotion on the line to the top division of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
Great Britain, Italy, Lithuania, Korea, Poland and Romania will do battle in the 2023 IIHF WMIA with the top two sides being promoted to the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Czechia.
Tournament passes comes with an exclusive period to select the best seats in the arena and come with a superb discount of one day free.
The week-long tickets apply to all five days of the tournament, allowing customers to attend all 15 games across the five days and you can buy them HERE.
Adult £100
Over-60s £72
Students £60
Under-16s £52
2023 IIHF World Championship Division I Group A schedule
Saturday 29th April
Poland v Lithuania – 12:30
Romania v Italy – 16:00
Korea v Great Britain – 19:30
Sunday 30th April
Lithuania v Romania – 12:30
Great Britain v Poland – 16:00
Italy v Korea – 19:30
Tuesday 2nd May
Romania v Korea – 12:30
Italy v Poland – 16:00
Great Britain v Lithuania – 19:30
Wednesday 3rd May
Korea v Poland – 12:30
Lithuania v Italy – 16:00
Great Britain v Romania – 19:30
Friday 5th May
Poland v Romania – 12:30
Lithuania v Korea – 16:00
Italy v Great Britain – 19:30
Ice Hockey UK and Dumfries and Galloway Council are excited to announce that the 2023 Under-18 Women’s World Championship Division II Group A will be held in Dumfries next year.
The six-team tournament – involving Great Britain, Australia, Latvia, Mexico Netherlands and Turkey – will be held at the Dumfries Ice Bowl from 21st to 27th January 2023.
This will be the eighth World Championship to be held in Dumfries and the second time in four years that the under-18 women’s tournament will take place at the Ice Bowl.
Ice Hockey UK General Secretary, Andy French, said: “It’s fantastic news we will once again be hosting a prestigious World Championship tournament in the UK.
“Dumfries and Galloway Council and the staff at the Ice Bowl are so well established at hosting international ice hockey tournaments.
“We constantly get superb feedback from the IIHF when we host tournaments in Dumfries and we are looking forward to working with them again next year.”
Dumfries and Galloway Council Chair of Communities Committee, Cllr Archie Dryburgh, and Vice-Chair, Cllr John Campbell, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting World Championship ice hockey once again in our council’s Ice Bowl facility.
“We have a rich history of successfully hosting events such as this one with our valued partners at Ice Hockey UK. It provides a fantastic economic boost to the area with many teams staying in and around the Ice Bowl for the duration of the tournament.
“It also allows local schoolchildren, ice hockey players and fans the chance to watch world-class action on their doorstep. We’re very much looking forward to the January event.”
Ticket details and the tournament schedule will be announced soon.
Great Britain Under-18s have named 29 players to take part in a selection camp in December for next year’s World Championship.
GB travel to Belgrade, Serbia for the World Championship Division II Group A from 16th to 22nd April 2023.
The six-team group will be made up of GB, Croatia, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia and Spain.
The coaching staff have already run their eye over 70 players during two-days camps in July and August.
December’s camp will take place over three days and the coaching staff and management team will be replicating a typical day at a World Championship.
FULL SQUAD
Head Coach, Sean Easton, said: “With only a few players remaining in the squad from last year’s team, it’s once again a fresh start and new-look team.
“We are down to 25 skaters and four goalies which will be down to team after the three-day camp.
“We will be starting to implement our systems and that will give us a good understanding as a coaching group to be able to see what our final team will look like.
“It’s a big year for a lot of the players. It’s important they get to play senior hockey from now until the next camp to elevate their game to the next level.
“For those turning 16 – being able to play seniors – we always see a more mature player that has had the senior opportunity.”
The squad sees call ups for four Scottish players, with defensive pair, Kilmarnock Thunder’s Conor McNulty and Kyle Carruth of Solway Sharks, Dundee Comets’ Darren Donaldson and Kirkcaldy Kestrels’ Brodie Kay all selected.
Scottish Ice Hockey’s top netminding prospects were in Nottingham on Monday for the latest Great Britain development session.
Cameron Kenny (Kirkcaldy), Daniel Hadden (Kirkcaldy), Logan Reid (Solway), Caiden MacColl (North Ayrshire) and Cameron Lees (Lanarkshire) attended the first session last October.
They were joined for the second event by Dominik Jaglar (Dundee) and put through their paces by the GB goalie coaching team.
SIH’s John Russell is currently working alongside several other coaches to identify and develop the next generation of goalies for the national programme.
He said: “The session was very successful. Gary Brine, Dave Clancy, Will Kerlin and I worked the best young GB goalies hard on the ice, testing their abilities and skillsets.
“From Scotland, we had the same five goalies from the first camp along with Dominic to give the country great representation. I was very impressed with all of them.
“Our last camp of the season will be in April, so this group will have the opportunity to push themselves hard in the next couple of months to show us the best version of themselves.”
(Image permission: Derek Young)
Great Britain U18 head coach Sean Easton has named his squad for this year’s World Championship Division 2A tournament in Tallinn.
Five Scottish Ice Hockey junior players are included in the squad – Kell Beattie, Ben Brown, Cameron Hamill, Carter Hamill and Mack Stewart.
GB face Estonia, Korea, Lithuania, Romania and Serbia, from 3-9th April at the Tondiraba Ice Hall.
This will be the first international action for GB U18s since the 2019 tournament in Hungary, with the last two editions cancelled due to the pandemic.
Easton said: “We can’t wait to get going. I’ve been head coach for two years now and we haven’t played a game in that time.
“It’s a great group of guys we’ve got this year. The team looks strong and we’ve had to cut good players to get to our final selection. This group will be very hard-working.
“We’ve got a great mixture of skill, hunger and speed. There will be a lot of determination. I think we have a rounded team and all four lines are very well-balanced.
“All my teams, we skate hard and I like them to be relentless.”
Five of the roster – Sam Cooper, Oliver Endicott, Jack Hopkins, Cain Russell and Liam Steele – played at the recent U20 World Championship Division 2A tournament in Brasov.
GB returned with the bronze medal and Easton believes these players can be crucial for the rest of the squad who have not had World Championship experience.
“They can guide the players through the dos and don’ts, the tournament rules and how you conduct yourself,” added Easton.
“They have the experience of the little things you probably don’t get to experience at club level. They can be a calming head because they have been there already.”
GREAT BRITAIN U20 SQUAD
NM: Ben Norton, Alex Oldale.
D: Kell Beattie, Daniel Bradley, Kieran Chung, Samuel Cooper, Archie Hazeldine, Milique Martelly, Liam Steele, Jacob White-Sey,
F: Ben Brown, Harry Corkum, Oliver Endicott, Cameron Hamill, Carter Hamill, Jack Hopkins, Sam Lyne, Austin Osborn, Dawson Osborn, Cain Russell, Josh Shaw, Mack Stewart.
Great Britain U20 rounded off the World Championship Division 2A tournament in Brasov with a 3-2 defeat against Italy on Sunday.
GB had secured bronze earlier in the day when Korea’s 5-2 victory over Lithuania put them out of reach of the silver medal.
Logan Neilson scored his sixth goal of the tournament while Jack Hopkins was also on target, but GB came up just short against the gold medalists.
Netminder Lucas Brine picked up the MVP award.
GB received their bronze medals in a post-game ceremony, while Finley Howells was awarded Forward of the Tournament and GB’s Player of the Tournament.
Head coach Martin Grubb believes the players will learn from their experience at the tournament.
“We only had two guys on our team who had experienced winning a medal and four who had played at a World Championship before,” he said.
“Add in the pandemic and even the uncertainty about travelling to Romania, we at least were able to win a medal.
“Although we are disappointed at the colour, the players will learn and grow from this experience.
“Thank you on behalf of us all for all the support from back home – it was much appreciated.”
(Image permission: Razvan Pasarica)
Great Britain U20’s hopes of promotion are over after they were beaten 4-3 by Romania in the World Championship Division 2A tournament in Brasov on Friday.
Italy are promoted to Division 1B with a game to spare, while GB will have to settle with a fight for the silver or bronze medal on the final day.
Logan Neilson netted again to become the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals, but Romania raced ahead in the middle session to leave GB with a mountain to climb.
Further goals by Oliver Endicott and Finley Howells gave GB hope, but they were unable to find an equaliser.
Head coach, Martin Grubb, said: “We knew coming into the game that we needed a result to give ourselves a chance at gold and ultimately a massively disappointing second period has ended that dream.
“We made too many mistakes that get punished at international level. We needed to make sure our execution and game management was better.
“Romania were a desperate team as they knew a loss meant relegation. We spoke about how we had to outwork them and make sure we played fast, simple and direct.
“Unfortunately, that middle period we put ourselves in a hole we couldn’t get out of. We have to regroup and stick together as a group.
“We need to finish as strong as we can to make sure that this tournament has a positive ending for us and the support back home.”
GB finish their tournament against Italy on Sunday (face-off 2.30 pm UK time).
(Image permission: Razvan Pasarica)
Great Britain U20 let a two-goal lead slip before losing 5-4 to Korea after penalty shots at the World Championship Division 2A tournament in Brasov on Thursday.
Alex Graham scored twice and now has three goals in the tournament, but it was a first defeat for GB after victories over Spain and Lithuania earlier in the week.
Jack Goodchild and Jack Hopkins were also on target as GB collected a point to remain on course to secure a medal.
Head coach, Martin Grubb, said: “Today was a tough loss for us and the most disappointing part is we just didn’t manage the game after throwing away a two-goal lead twice.
“We got ourselves in a good position after both the first and second periods and we just didn’t come out with any sort of intensity in the third.
“We looked really leggy and in the end we knew the Koreans wouldn’t stop. We got punished by a hungrier team.
“We really need to get over this quickly and keep focused on the fact we need two regulations wins to give us the best possible chance of success.
“We cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We need to dust ourselves down, learn a harsh lesson and make sure we do our job against Romania.”
GB face Romania on Friday (face-off 6.00 pm UK time)
(Image permission: Bogdan Balas)