A tournament that began with a 7-1 loss to highly trained Russia was followed by a more disciplined approach in a 2-1 loss to the first leaders of Group A, Slovakia.
That performance allowed them to spend the day off on Monday with confidence before yesterday’s meeting with a team from Denmark that scored them 9-0 just two years ago.
That loss, in a game where GB had anticipated his chances of taking something away from him, hurt a lot.
Yesterday, GB, just as it did against a Slovak team that had also beaten them heavily (7-1) two years earlier, again showed that they belong at this level.
Ultimately, the result turns into another defeat: Nicklas Jensen shot home an overtime winner for the Danes who outscored Ben Bowns in 64.35, but GB is on track having tied their opponents in regulation to earn a point. deserved.
Given that captain Jonathan Phillip was picking up his 100th international match for his country, it was good that his team produced their best performance of the tournament so far. It was also a great day for Phillis’ Sheffield Steelers teammate, defender Sam Jones, who was making his international debut, along with forward Ciaran Long.
Sheffield Steeldogs defender Ben O’Connor put his team in the lead with just 2.33 on the scoreboard, but Denmark, who already beat Sweden, tied just after 10 minutes thanks to a good backhand from Julian Jakobsen. .
Just over three minutes later, GB fell behind as Nicklas Jensen’s effort drifted off Josh Tetlow’s stick and past Ben Bowns.
But GB rallied and out-shot their opponents for the next 40 minutes, finally getting his payoff when Ben Lake’s speed gave him time to set up the advancing Mike Hammond and shoot home the tie at 56.18.
He secured a valuable point but, similar to how they felt after the loss to Slovakia, the GB players came off the ice believing they deserved more.
Joint assistant coach Corey Neilson, who along with Adam Keefe is running the GB operation in the absence of head coach Pete Russell, said the result, while ultimately disappointing, showed just how far the GB team had come in a short space of time.
“It was another great performance and it just shows how far we’ve come in recent years,” Neilson said. “Yes, we came off the ice disappointed that we did not win, but we have every reason to be proud of that demonstration.
“We ran a fantastic side very close and our guys just threw their bodies on the line over and over again. The boys now need to rest a bit before Belarus, which will bring different challenges, but we are excited to compete against them. “
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Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-25 21:17:02
