Team GB Ice Hockey fans were treated to a rollercoaster opening game at the World Championship Division I Group A in Romania as Great Britain edged Ukraine 4–3 on penalty shots.
Team GB Ice Hockey had raced into a 2–0 lead, only to be dragged back into the fray by a spirited Ukrainian comeback that required last-gasp heroics in the shootout.
Waller’s First-Period Strike Sets the Tone
There was spring in GB’s skates from the drop of the puck. Ben Bowns turned aside Olexander Peresunko with a textbook pad save, while Ollie Betteridge threw himself in harm’s way with a spectacular diving block.
Moments later, Josh Waller flashed his intuition on the powerplay, tipping in Nathan Halbert’s blistering shot at 11:08 to send the GB bench into raptures.
Ukraine Roar Back in the Second
If momentum were a pendulum, this pendulum was about to swing. Brett Perlini, like a fox in the crease, deftly redirected a Ben O’Connor pass to bring Ukraine level at 21:30—credit to Kieran Brown for registering his first GB point on the play.
Viktor Zakharov then seized on a turnover to break away and score at 25:45, and Danil Trakht’s wiry snapshot from the left circle made it 2–2 at 32:01. Suddenly, the game felt like a street fight on ice.
O’Connor’s Calm Response and Bowns’ Record-Tying Night
The third period began as an arm-wrestle. Denys Borodai’s low shot from the right circle (49:16) pushed Ukraine ahead, and a disallowed goal for GB—Ben Lake adjudged to have kicked the puck in—added insult to injury.
But Ben O’Connor showed the poise of a veteran, slotting home on the left wing at 52:42 after another video review. Meanwhile, Ben Bowns, earning his 82nd cap, stood tall and equalled Stevie Lyle’s record for most appearances by a GB netminder.
A Shootout to Remember
Overtime couldn’t separate them—Trakht was denied by Bowns’s pad and again on a breakaway—so the showdown shifted to penalty shots.
In a display of pure nerve, O’Connor and Lake found the back of the net for GB, while Bowns stood firm to deny all four Ukrainian attempts. It was the kind of finish that makes you grateful for cushioned seats and elbow pads.
Eyes on Romania
For Team GB Ice Hockey, this win is more than two points; it’s a statement that this squad is here to play. With debutants Kieran Brown (434th), Joe Hazeldine (435th) and Logan Neilson (436th) adding fresh legs and hungry ambition, the group now turns its attention to hosts Romania.
Britain takes to the ice against the home side at 19:30 (17:30 BST) on Monday—and given the way they’ve started, you wouldn’t bet against another thriller.
