Like many across the world, Great Britain’s U18 hockey program was hugely affected by the pandemic.
When the 2022 IIHF Division II, Group A (U18) tournament was confirmed, Great Britain’s roster had a different look.
Jack Hopkins, Liam Steele and Archie Hazeldine to name but three were joined by a plethora of unfamiliar names.
One of those was goaltender Ben Norton, making his international debut.
The Doncaster native announced himself on the world stage with stellar performances.
For Great Britain as a whole, it was a disappointing campaign. A gold medal was there for the taking, but a slow start to the tournament eventually meant GB had to settle for a Bronze medal.
In the opening day loss to Estonia, Great Britain was outplayed and relied heavily on Norton to stay in the contest until the final minutes.
The goaltender turned aside sixteen shots in the first period alone and 36 in the entire game but could not prevent a 3-2 loss.
Romania were the opponents in game two in what should have been a straightforward win for GB. Another slow start saw Romania grab a two-goal lead.
GB clawed their way back into the game, prevailing in overtime but were indebted to Norton for several key saves. Romania did not create many scoring chances, but the ones they did were from high-danger areas.
Norton’s crowning moment of the tournament was in game three against eventual gold medallists, Korea.
GB took an early lead but was pegged back and trailed 2-1 after twenty minutes. That turned into a 3-2 lead after forty minutes but Korea would surge in the final frame.
Korea out-shot Great Britain 15-0 through the third period but Norton kept them at bay with a string of outstanding saves.
The 18yo would end up posting 31 saves for the victory to keep medal hopes intact.
Norton and his compatriot Luca Tessadi (one period) then combined to post a fourteen save shutout in a comprehensive 8-0 rout of Serbia.
The final game of the tournament against Lithuania was a sterner test for Norton. Great Britain was being held 2-2 through forty minutes but Norton shut the door in the final frame to enable his team to prevail 4-2.
A 25 save performance that guaranteed Great Britain a medal on the final day of the competition.
Ben Norton allowed just nine goals in five games, six of which were scored at 5v5 play.
His 92.56SVS% was second-best in the tournament and he stopped 112 shots (third-most).
Norton was selected as the best goaltender of the tournament by the Directorate and won the best player of the game award in the victory against Korea.
In the coach’s vote for best player, Norton was the standout candidate for Great Britain and also took home that accolade.
There is little known about Norton’s progress with Northwood School, based in Lake Placid, New York.
It says a lot about the young man that he opted to leave his family behind to pursue his hockey career in 2019.
If his performances at the World Championships are anything to go by, Ben Norton is a name to watch out for in the future for Great Britain.
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