GB vs. Ukraine

Heartbreak for hardworking GB as Ukraine steal gold

Ukraine             2

Great Britain     1

A single point enough to secure gold and promotion, Great Britain knew this would be no easy task as Olexander Savitsky’s Ukraine headed into the contest with their sights also set on the top spot and a place in Division 1A.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Faceoff over, Team GB rushed for the puck to make their purpose clear within the first minute of play; forward Ashley Tait extremely close to opening the scoring with two chances falling his way early on. With almost nine minutes played, referee Mikael Holm called the first penalty of the game against Evan Mosey to send Ukraine on the power play but GB’s effective penalty kill made it difficult for their opposition to find a way through and the score line remained tied at 0-0. This positive start for GB gave Russell’s men a boost as they tackled Ukraine’s challenging line up and they were eventually shown some reprieve when Vitali Andreykiv took two minutes for interference on 12:22. Equally, GB were unable to make any of their chances count on the advantage, allowing Ukraine to return to five men with the score line unaltered. As referee Holm continued to have his work cut out, Ross Venus warmed a seat in the sin bin just over a minute later but it was not long before the power play was with GB once again as the side were restored to full strength to see Ukrainian winger Vladyslav Gavryk sit out for boarding before the break.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

This penalty running four seconds into the middle stanza, GB failed to capitalise with the additional skater but were soon fired ahead when reliable captain Jonathan Phillips lit the lamp on 21:54, the forward tipping Josh Batch’s shot into Eduard Zakharchenko’s net to make it 1-0. This goal sparked some life into Robert Dowd whose shot leapt over the bar but, soon after, netminder Ben Bowns was called into action to make two low saves as Ukraine looked to draw level. A boarding penalty against Oleg Shafarenko saw Great Britain work   Zakharchenko on the power play as Mosey and Ben O’Connor tested the shot stopper whilst Colin Shields almost doubled his side’s lead before the forward was reinstated in play. Russell Cowley also saw his shot blocked but Ukraine quickly stole possession to put Bowns under pressure, the netminder making strong saves as blue liner Mark Richardson did all he could defensively to keep the opposition at bay. This was followed by a chance for Phillips to grab his second of the game as GB moved into their offensive zone shortly afterwards but, again, Ukraine picked up possession and began to move forward, Bowns on hand to make the save before Jonathan Weaver threw himself in front of the puck. Little time remaining in the period, Boxill was denied by Zakharchenko to see GB head in with the fine margin of a one-goal lead.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Knowing that Ukraine required a goal to kick-start their comeback, GB headed onto the ice for the final period, aware that they needed to further increase the gap between themselves and their opponents to make promotion a certainty. Unable to find the back of the net early on, GB soon found themselves punished by Dmytro Chernyshenko who hit home on 44:25 to tie the game at 1-1. Just minutes later, Ukraine were handed a power play as centre Matthew Myers served a minor for tripping. Another successful penalty kill saw GB return to full strength without conceding, the side then going on the offensive through Shields whose shot was saved by Zakharchenko. Shortly after, Robert Farmer’s rebound was prevented from making its mark on the game whilst a great pass from Ross Venus created an opportunity for Cowley whose doorstep shot was collected by the netminder.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

A point enough to claim promotion, GB found themselves clinging on as Ukraine began to plough forward to test Bowns and it was little surprise when Savitsky’s men snatched a goal through Olexander Pobyedonostsev to make it 2-1. This score line enough to ruin GB’s promotion hopes, Ukraine called a timeout, aware that gold was once again within their grasp. Returning with new instruction, GB found themselves requiring a goal to secure promotion but with time fast running out, the side’s efforts were further hindered when Cowley was sinbinned for interference to hand Ukraine a power play. GB still in the game as they returned to full strength, Russell pulled Bowns from his net to give his side an additional skater with thirty seconds left on the clock. This effort was not enough however, and as the final buzzer sounded, a despondent GB were left to agonise over how close they had been to promotion and how quickly their hopes had been dashed.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Subsequent to this game, deserving captain Jonathan Phillips was named GB’s ‘Player of the Tournament’ whilst blue liner Ben O’Connor picked up the ‘Best Defenceman of the Tournament’ award, these accolades but a small consolation under the circumstances. The last game of the World Championships then resulted in an overtime loss for Lithuania which saw GB awarded silver for their tremendous efforts whilst Ukraine claimed gold and promotion to Division 1A.  

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

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