It has been 76 years since Team GB last made it the whole way to the Olympics and many thought this year could be their chance with the help of Liam Kirk and other star players however, this wasn’t the case as they went on to win only one game out of three in their qualifiers.
Team GB prepared hard for the Olympic Qualifiers however, it wasn’t enough when they faced off against Denmark and Norway as they went onto lose both these games before finally winning one game against Japan however, one win doesn’t cut it in the qualifiers. It was a tough group with all three of their opponents having solid teams however, many thought Team GB could contest them but they couldn’t and this begs the question why not.
In Team GB’s first game they lost 3-1 to Denmark in a game where they competed well enough but fell off during the 3rd period.
M. Lauridsen opened the scoring in the 3rd minute of the game by beating B. Bowns top right after firing the puck through the legs of E. Mosey and past the shoulder of J. Tetlow in an attack which GB just couldn’t find themselves getting close to winning the puck back. Not too long after Denmark found themselves on the penalty kill after L. Eller was called for high sticking and Team GB took advantage of this powerlay as E. Mosey skates the puck from his end of the ice before passing to the wing where C. Neilson picks the puck before passing to the opposite side of the ozone where L. Kirk picks it up and fires a wrist shot top left to beat F. Andersen to make the game 1-1.
Not too much happened in the 2nd period however, Team GB’s powerplay was unsuccessful twice and they also gave up a penalty shot which L. Eller missed.
The 3rd period was the decider of the game which it usually is. C. Shudra picked up a slashing penalty five minutes into the period which he soon regretted as Denmark would take full advantage of this powerplay; Denmark would pass the puck back and forth along the right side of their ozone before M. Lauridsen passed the puck to the nearby J. Blichfield who then made a hard pass to N. Ehlers, who was at the wide open left side near the blue line and he would fire a powerful wrist shot from just outside the faceoff circle to beat B. Browns up high again. Denmark would increase their lead from 2-1 to 3-1 with eight minutes left when they were fighting for the puck along the boards in their ozone before L. Eller picked the puck up and took it to Gretzky’s office and wrapped around and beat B. Browns up high from the edge of the crease.
Team GB did put up a fight against Denmark but they were sloppy on the puck when defending and their stick checking was not up to par which ultimately cost them the game however, with Peter Russel knowing all this they would prepare harder for their next game against Norway.
Team GB would have a horrific second game as they faced off against Norway who would go on to beat them 6-2 in a must win game for Team GB as they knew they risked elimination.
Norway were fairly in control right from the faceoff picking up on the sloppy passing from Team GB and the turnovers in the neutral zone. All the mistakes would soon catch up with Team GB as Norway were freely passing the puck around before M. Krogdahl shoots the puck which is purposely deflected by P. Thoresen causing the puck to beat B. Bowns up high. Sadly much didn’t change after Norway’s first goal and unfortunately for Team GB, Norway ended up on the powerplay and they managed to keep Team GB trapped in their own zone causing pressure to build up which resulted in another goal. Norway were passing the puck around constantly before a smart pass from M. Zuccarello to P. Thoresen who went to pass it to another player in front of the net but failed to the hit puck properly however, it trickled it’s way behind B. Bowns and into the net for his second goal of the night and to make the game 2-0.
The second was no different and the already hot P. Thoresen went and gave himself a hat trick only 35 seconds into the second period when Team GB made a sloppy turnover in their defensive zone which was picked up by M. Zuccarello who passed the puck M. Norstebo who shot the puck which then got deflected by P. Thoresen to pick up his 3rd goal of the night and to make it 3-0. In the 10th minute of the game A. K. Olimb managed to protect the puck from Team GB after a few unlucky bounces however, GB were still struggling with their stick checking ability and he passed the puck along to the blue line where J. Johannesen one timed it home to make the score 4-0. Shortly after this goal the coaching team for Team GB decided enough was enough they had to go to the backup netminder Jackson Whistle however, this didn’t resolve anything as M. Pettersen went on to make it 5-0. After passing back and forth and skating behind Whistle’s net, A. K. Olimb makes a pass from one faceoff circle to the other one where M. Pettersen dropped to a knee to one time the puck into the net before Whistle could reach the other side of the net.
The 2nd period finished 5-0 and Team GB were faced with a steep hill to climb.
Finally Team GB got on the board after a power play goal from J. Waller in the 5th minute of the 3rd period. Norway tried to pass the puck out from the boards however, it landed on L. Kirk's stick where he quickly passed it to J. Waller who was in front of the net and Waller dangled his way closer to the goalie before putting the puck in the net, this goal gave Team Gb something to cling onto in hopes they can bring it back. Luck would cross them again in the 12th minute as B. Davies scores their second goal of the night leaving them with a three goal target with 8 minutes left. C. Neilson found himself tangled up with two of the Norway players at the boards so he passed the puck to the blue line where S. Roupp picked the puck and hit a shot onto J. Arntzen, who had it covered however, the puck trickled out of his pads and behind him and B. Davies noticed this and quickly threw himself towards the puck tapping it into the back of the net. Sadly only 20 seconds later Norway would seal the game with a sixth goal when M. Norstebo hit a slap shot on the puck to send it down and round the boards where M. Pettersen picked it up behind the net and passed it to the centre of the ozone where A. K. Olimb hit a one timer which sent the puck above J. Whistle’s glove.
In a game which meant everything to Team GB, they struggled and struggled. Too many mistakes cost them the match and their spot in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Luckily for Team GB they went on to beat Japan 3-2 in a close game however, it was a game not many fans paid attention to as they were let down by the last two games. Fans have been questioning what is wrong with Team Gb, how can’t they compete with other countries? Well it could be various things whether it is the coaching team, or the lack of young British players up to standard or maybe it is the EIHL not treating homegrowns the way they should? We don’t know for sure.
As we know the EIHL have just changed their roster regulations to favour the growth of young homegrown players which will benefit the future of all the clubs in the league but also Team GB by producing British players who are up to standards to compete internationally.
Will Harris former writer for EIHL News Central now a current writer for Chasing The Puck addressed his concerns about the age of the squad selected for Team GB, he said “The age profile of the squad is the first concern, with 11 of the squad being over the age of 33” and it comes with no surprise that go back to when Team Gb were in the World Championships top division these players would have been around 28 years old roughly and it is obvious that most players above the age of 27 years old are no longer performing as high as they can which brings us to question why is there no young GB players the same question Will had asked as well. Another possible issue is the coaching staff; Peter Russell has been a member of the coaching team for Team GB for over a decade now and during this time Team GB has now found any success at the highest flight of World Championship only success at the first division. So is it maybe time for a change in coaching, getting a fresh face in to take our country to success.
With possibilities being addressed all over the place by journalists and analysts, one thing is for certain change is needed and it is needed soon. Fans want Team GB to succeed but don’t expect it to happen if things stay the same.
Author: Calan Yule
Photos From Team GB Twitter Page
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