Great Britain U18 Women produced one of the best performances in their history as they beat top seeds Norway U18 Women 1-0 after penalty shots in the Under-18 Women’s World Championship Division I Group B in Dumfries.
Netminder Ella Howard secured a 48-shot shutout and was named as player of the game, while Chloe Riley scored the winning penalty in sudden death.
No goals in opening session
GB produced an impressive first-period performance and went close through Chloe Headland and Lucy Beal.
Howard had to be at her best at the other end, turning away 14 shots on goal by Norway.
Quality second period but game remains scoreless
Norway continued to pile on the pressure in the second period as Howard saved another 14 attempts, but GB had quality chances at the other end too.
Chloe Headland was denied from close range, while a fantastic pass from Grace Garbett sent free Jessica Sprules but she was just unable to convert the chance.
GB stun top seeds
The third period saw Howard continue to make world-class saves, while Ellie Wakeling and Verity Lewis went close for GB.
After a scoreless overtime, a dramatic penalty shootout followed and the two teams could not be separated after five shots each.
In sudden death, Riley scored her second penalty of the shootout and Howard denied Thea Jorgensen as GB secured a famous victory.
Head coach, Cheryl Smith, said: “Words cannot describe how proud I am of the team tonight.
“There were outstanding performances right across the ice and everyone should be so proud of what they achieved.
“I have been saying for a while we have so much talent in this programme and that shone through tonight.
“We killed their game plan and they followed the instructions from the coaches, which was fantastic.
“I am so thrilled with the win but just as important was how they all stuck to the brief.”
In today’s other games, France beat Poland 4-0 while China secured their first win of the tournament as they were 4-1 winners over Netherlands
GB are now fourth in the group table after three matches.
There are no games tomorrow but GB return to action on Friday when they play China (8pm).
Tickets can be purchased online or on the door at the Dumfries Ice Bowl. Click here to buy tickets.
Photo credit: Karl Denham.