It proved a momentous four days in Nottingham though not with the outcome the home crowd desired.
Great Britain’s women’s team came within a solitary goal of progressing to the final stage of qualification for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
A 5-0 thumping of Iceland was followed by another emphatic performance against Slovenia, which sadly ended in a 2-1 reverse.
The frustration in that defeat was that the two goals given up were easily avoidable but more so the Slovenia netminder was only beaten once as multiple excellent scoring chances were passed up.
However, a two-goal margin of victory against the highly touted Korea team in the final game would see Great Britain progress.
Korea had performed flawlessly in their first two games of the tournament but in truth had not been in a ‘competitive’ game or tested.
Great Britain gave them everything they could handle and more in a performance for the ages.
A GB team that hadn’t iced for two years outplayed their much higher-ranked opponents for long stretches and deservedly took a 1-0 lead late in the second period.
Come hell or high water, a much sought-after second goal would not arrive.
Yet more golden scoring opportunities passed GB by and they could have used a dollop or two or luck along the way as rebounds squirted wide and shots hit the wrong side of the post.
Certainly, GB can hold their heads up high after this tournament given the circumstances.
Without patriotism or simple favouritism influencing my opinion, the home nation outplayed all three opponents. They were literally just one goal away, in either the Slovenia or Korea game, from progressing and no one could reasonably argue that GB didn’t deserve to had that extra puck hit the twine.
There were many standout performances from the entire roster and to pick out individuals seems grossly unfair.
My knowledge of women’s hockey in the UK isn’t what it should be and perhaps that is why I was drawn to the performances of Lucy Beal.
A name fairly unfamiliar to me, Beal was outstanding on the blue line and at the tender age of 18 has a very bright future ahead of her.
The average age of the roster is only 23.5 so the future looks incredibly promising for the group brilliantly captained by Saffron Allen.
Under Head Coach Michael Clancy, Great Britain should be approaching the next world championships with gold on their minds and progression up the ranks.
It wasn’t just the performances but also the style of play that enamoured Great Britain to the watching public. An emphasis on puck possession but also encouraging the more highly talented individuals on the team to be creative in the offensive zone.
The work rate and ethic of the team were on the money from game one and these women are all in.
As important as the action on the ice were the improvements of it as Great Britain set records of a different kind.
GB’s opening-day 5-0 victory over Iceland broke the attendance record for a women’s ice hockey game in the UK.
That record was broken again in the 2-1 defeat by Slovenia the following night with a four-figure attendance.
The 1-0 victory over Korea saw 1,700 people in the arena, an unthinkable number of spectators watching women’s hockey in the UK.
Undoubtedly having live sports back in the UK and the word ‘Olympic’ surrounding an event has its appeal but credit needs to be given where it’s due.
The event was brilliantly organised and run, and whoever decided on a £6.50 price point should be applauded for making international sport affordable.
The performances of the team obviously contributed but having FreeSports coverage and the excellent work of Angela Taylor, Aaron Murphy and Paul Adey also made a huge difference.
Without a spotlight to shine on women’s hockey then they will forever live in the shadows.
As per an article on the IIHF website:
“There was just this massive roar any time anything happened,” said GB forward Katie Marsden. “Any time we got the puck, any time Korea lost the puck, we could really hear them. The crowd was incredible.”
“The pricing was a really good idea to make it attractive,” said Allan Petrie, chair of the GB Supporters Club. “It’s brought in a lot of people that maybe weren’t that interested in ice hockey, or women’s ice hockey, and had them thinking ‘you know what, this is quite good’.
Mick and Sarah Bryan made the 130-mile trip from Blackburn, where team GB head coach Mike Clancy has his day job behind the bench with the Hawks.
“It’s our first time watching a women’s game,” they said. “One of the lasses, Abbie Culshaw, plays for Blackburn [in the men’s NIHL] and they have our coach here. We got two games today at a nice price so why not? It’s a good day out.
“The play’s really good, the standard’s good. We’ve been watching on the TV for the last couple of days as well and we’ve enjoyed it. If it fits in, we’d like to come back and see some more.”
The full article can be viewed here https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2022/ogqp2f/news/29200/gb_women_draw_record_crowd
There were also hundreds of school children shipped in to watch games on Thursday and Friday afternoons.
What better way to inspire a new generation of potential players and fans.
If you have enjoyed this article and would like to support my work please consider making a donation at https://ko-fi.com/markukleaf or paypal.me/markukleaf
Alternatively if you feel inclined to support me longer term please consider becoming a patron https://www.patreon.com/markukleaf
Thank you for considering the above, reading this article and your continued support.
UK Hockey Blog 