Great Britain Under-18s made a stunning start to the World Championship Division II Group A in Tallinn with a 6-3 victory over hosts Estonia.

Mason Alderson-Biddulph and Jordan Buesa scored twice as a four-goal first-period burst proved vital for Britain.

Explosive GB start
Cade Neilson’s shot off the back boards fell to Alderson-Biddulph who poked the puck home (1:55) and 10 seconds later Alderson-Biddulph grabbed his second from close range (2:05).

Richard Krogh’s neat backhand finish made it 3-0 at 11:45 and Jordan Buesa skated in on the netminder short-handed and slipped it through the five-hole at 19:16.

Estonia launch a comeback 
Buesa scored his second 90 seconds into the second period as he cut inside from the right (21:30), before Estonia staged a mini fightback.

Jegor Nevzorov scored from a goalmouth scramble (24:31), while Nikita Puzakov stepped out from behind the net and jammed it home short-handed (31:52).

Rasmus Kiik floated in Estonia’s third on the powerplay at 37:10 but GB restored their three-goal cushion 21 seconds later as Patrick Larkin put away a rebound at 37:31.

There were no goals in the third period as GB claimed a convincing win in their opening game.

Hand: Everyone should be so proud
Coach, Tony Hand, said: “It was a great team performance and one everyone can be proud of.

“We got a little excited going 5-0 up and had to calm ourselves down again, but we were composed and disciplined in those first 20 minutes.

“It was an excellent start to the tournament and one we can certainly build on.”

GB return to action tomorrow when they take Australia at 4:30pm (2:30pm UK time).