The British Universities Ice Hockey Association (BUIHA) are please to confirm the coaching staff for the Great Britain Universities (GBU) team in preparation for the 2021 Winter Universiade in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Peter Winn has been named as head coach of the GBU Men’s team. Pete comes with a wealth of experience working across all levels of hockey. On his appointment Pete said, “I’m really honoured to be appointed as the head coach of the men’s GB uni team. I look forward to working with all the staff and players to drive the programme forward in preparation for the 2021 World Student Games.”
Former Latvian international Janis Krogzems will be assisting Winn with the GBU men’s team. Competing at both U18’s and U20’s level for Latvia, Janis has a good experience of playing in international competitions and an understanding of what it takes to compete against top hockey nations.
Ryan Rathbone (Head of International Programmes) added, “someone of Pete’s calibre is exactly what the programme needs. He has been involved in the sport for a long time and he has a wealth of knowledge that will be invaluable to the programme. Adding Janis to the mix with his international experience, I believe we have a strong coaching staff in place to support our ambition of being able to compete on the international stage. I am pleased they both accepted the roles and look forward to working closely with them to build a strong GBU men’s team in preparation for the 2021 Universiade.”
Rathbone will continue his role as head coach of the GBU women’s team and will be supported by Great Britain international and former GBU player Ali Emery. Emery currently works at St Mary’s University and has a strong understanding of university sport, a detailed knowledge of the GBU programme as well as first hand experience on transitioning into the Great Britain Womens Programme. Rathbone commented, “I have worked with Ali within both the GB and GBU set up as well as on BUIHA projects in the past, her knowledge and enthusiasm will provide the programme with an extra dimension. Her experience of going through the performance pathway is something I am keen to share across the programme as we look to embed the Great Britain Universities programme with the GB performance pathway.”
The first training camp in preparation for the 2021 games will be taking place at Ice Sheffield on Wednesday 16th October 2019. More details will be publish in the coming week.