Great Britain Women’s Netminding Coach Dave Clancy says the “outstanding” duo of Nicole Jackson and Ella Howard – backed up by team defence – was a major reason behind the team’s success in Spain.

Britain won gold in their World Championship tournament in Jaca, securing promotion to Division 1 for next season.

Jackson conceded only once in 180 minutes and shutout Chinese Taipei as well as Latvia in the gold-medal decider on the final day. Howard secured a shutout on her first GB start in a 3-0 victory over Mexico.

“The goalies were outstanding all week,” said Clancy. “They have been outstanding for some time now and we are very lucky to have such a talented duo.

“Ella Howard is a special young talent and is going from strength to strength playing in North America. Nicole Jackson is a stellar netminder who puts in performances night after night and she has been one of our best for a long time now.

“The compete level they both have is amazing. They bounce off one another but compete against each other. They work so well together.

“Having a dedicated netminding coach at every age group level in GB just goes to show how well the women’s goalie programme is working. It shows the development we have coming through from young age groups up into seniors now.

“With the three of us in the women’s goalie coaching programme – myself, Danny (Milton) and John (Russell) – we believe we can see a steady pathway of goalies coming through for many years.”

Victories over Chinese Taipei (8-0), Spain (3-1), Mexico (3-0) and Latvia (4-0) saw GB promoted back to Division 1B for the first time since 2013.

GB limited their four opponents to 55 shots between them during the tournament and Clancy says team defence was a major factor.

“The goalies were supported heavily through the teams performance in shutting the opposition down, keeping the shots to the outside and allowing the goalies to see the puck,” added Clancy.

“Everything came together to win us the gold medal. It was a real team effort. The hard work, the hours put in, the effort that every single one of those girls put in was outstanding.

“In the past seven games we’ve only conceded three goals and that’s a remarkable statistic, playing against some high-calibre teams. That shows how superb not only the netminders have been but the whole team around them.”