Cardiff’s Ben Shines For GB Against Canada In Worlds

Great Britain 0, Canada 8

Cardiff-born Ben Davies was man of the match for Great Britain in their World Championship clash with Canada in Slovakia.

Former Bishop of Llandaff School pupil Davies, a former Cardiff Devils forward who is now with Guildford Flames, was a big influence for GB.

Betting odds suggested GB were 60-1 outsiders to beat Canada in this two-team contest.

Canada are the number one team in World ice hockey and had an abundance of NHL players even though this was far from their best team.

https://twitter.com/TeamGBicehockey/status/1127676798299406336

GB, though, have the aim of staying in the top flight and that means beating the likes of France and Denmark.

It is 25 years since GB were last in the top flight of World ice hockey when Doug McEwen, Ian Cooper, Stephen Cooper, Shannon Hope and Nicky Chinn were in the team.

That was in Bolzano during 1994 and one journalist, the Daily Mail’s Paul Newman was in Italy for that tournament – and he is in Slovakia.

“GB 2019 are a much better team than the 1994 group with all due respect,” says Newman, who started following ice hockey when he watched Lee Valley Lions as a youngster.

GB won’t spend too much time worrying about the defeat against Canada. Their task is to win one, maybe two games, over the tournament and stay in the top flight.

https://twitter.com/TeamGBicehockey/status/1127660649151107077

Match stats:

Period scores (GB first) 0-2; 0-3(0-5); 0-3 (0-8)

Scorers, Canada: Anthony Mantha 2+3, Mathieu Joseph 1+0, Kyle Turris 2+0, Sean Couturier 1+0, Dylan Strome 1+0, Dante Fabbro 1+0, Shea Theodore 0+1, Jared McCann 0+1, Troy Stecher 0+1, Adam Henrique 0+1, Darnell Nurse 0+1, Jonathan Marchessault 0+1, Thomas Chabot 0+2, Tyson Jost 0+2.

Shots on goal: GB (on Carter Hart) 4+2+6=12, Canada (on Ben Bowns) 22+18+16=56.

Penalties in minutes: GB 2+12+2=16; Canada 2+2+0=4

Referees: Aleksi Rantala and Jeremy Tufts.

Schedule for GB at the 2019 World Championship in Slovakia (face-off times local time).

Saturday, May 11: Germany 3 Great Britain 1

Sunday, May 12: Great Britain 0, Canada 8

Tuesday, May 14: Great Britain v Denmark 4.

GB coaching team. Peter Russell (centre) is assisted by Corey Neilson (left) and Adam Keefe.

GB squad:

Netminders

Ben Bowns – Cardiff Devils

Thomas Murdy – Cardiff Devils

Jackson Whistle – Sheffield Steelers

Defencemen

Tim Billingsley – Nottingham Panthers

Dallas Ehrhardt – Manchester Storm

Steve Lee – Nottingham Panthers

Evan Mosey – Cardiff Devils

Ben O’Connor – Sheffield Steelers

David Phillips – Sheffield Steelers

Mark Richardson – Cardiff Devils

Paul Swindlehurst – Belfast Giants

Forwards

Ollie Betteridge – Nottingham Panthers

Ben Davies – Guildford Flames

Robert Dowd – Sheffield Steelers

Robert Farmer – Nottingham Panthers

Luke Ferrara – Coventry Blaze

Mike Hammond – Manchester Storm

Liam Kirk – Peterborough Petes

Robert Lachowicz – Nottingham Panthers

Ben Lake – Coventry Blaze

Joey Lewis – ESV Kaufbeuren

Matthew Myers – Cardiff Devils

Brett Perlini – Nottingham Panthers

Jonathan Phillips – Sheffield Steelers

Colin Shields – Belfast Giants