For the first time since 2013, Great Britain Women are back in Division 1 of the World Championships.
After years of near-misses, bitter disappointments and a pandemic denying this talented group their shot at success, it all came together in Jaca, Spain.
Not only did Great Britain win gold and promotion but they did so emphatically and undeniably.
The marker was laid down in the opening game of the tournament.
GB thumped Chinese Taipei 8-0 with Casey Trail leading the way with two goals and an assist.
Katie Marsden and Christine Newman contributed four and three assists respectively.
It wasn’t just the high profile names putting up numbers, however, as twelve skaters contributed at least a point in a team offensive effort.
Often champions have to find a way to win when things don’t go their way.
In the second game of the tournament, Spain provided a stern test with a solid defensive play.
The teams exchanged a goal apiece in the opening frame and GB would be frustrated by the hosts until late in the game.
Louise Adams stepped up to score the game-winner with 3:03 remaining and Katie Marsden made the game safe with an insurance marker.
Having found a way through that stern test, Great Britain never looked back from a hard-fought 3-1 success.
A 3-0 victory against Mexico was another test of patience as much as anything else.
Over a hundred shot attempts were registered but it took forty-one minutes for GB to break the will of the Mexican goaltender.
GB deserved a larger margin of victory but the three points earned were all that mattered.
At every level and age group, Great Britain’s national teams have a history of falling at the final hurdle in deciding games.
This group made sure they cleared the hurdle with room to spare and romped home to a gold medal.
A 4-0 dismantling of Latvia was a masterclass in how to handle such a pivotal game.
If there were any nerves, they certainly weren’t apparent.
Katie Henry broke the deadlock at the nine-minute mark and the score would remain 1-0 through forty minutes.
The third period was a demonstration of how far this squad has come. They out-shot Latvia 18-5, scored three goals without reply and never looked in any danger.
Great Britain scored the most goals in the tournament (18) and only allowed one goal against, recording three shutouts.
A 27.27% power play was the best of all four nations and GB’s penalty kill was perfect through the fifteen occasions it went to work.
Casey Traill was named best defender of the tournament by the Directorate and Katie Marsden was awarded the best GB player nominated by all the head coaches.
All but three skaters recorded at least a point for Great Britain, and young goaltender Ella Howard recorded a shutout on her first senior start.
The planning, preparation and coaching should also not be forgotten in this success.
Head Coach Mike Clancy and his two assistants, Sean Alderson Jeff Colton left no stone unturned in constructing this achievement for the program.
Thoughts for the coaching staff immediately turn to next year’s World Championships.
With a current roster that has an average age of just 24 and plenty of good players on the reserve list waiting for their shot, the future looks bright.
For now, I hope Great Britain savours this momentous occasion and how it was achieved.
UK Hockey Blog 