Ice Hockey UK chairman Richard Grieveson says Great Britain’s games against Poland at the weekend were two fantastic sporting events.

Nearly 7,000 people watched the two matches, including a sell-out crowd in the Skydome in Coventry.

Poland won Saturday night’s match 4-3 at Nottingham’s National Ice Centre with a winner 11 seconds from the end of overtime.

But the roles were reversed on Sunday in Coventry when Ben O’Connor’s overtime goal saw GB to a 3-2 success.

Grieveson said: “They were two wonderful matches and great adverts for GB ice hockey.

“Both sides deserve a lot of credit for the commitment, desire and passion they showed.

“Both sets of supporters too – the noise and passion in the stands was remarkable.

“We’ve talked about hosting a World Championship and this shows the desire is there from the supporters.”

GB will now travel to Zagreb for the World Championship (Division 1B) tournament, which gets under way on Sunday.

“A lot of preparation has gone into planning for the World Championship in Zagreb and for these two games against Poland,” added Grieveson.

“GB general manager Andy Buxton deserves so much praise for his work in the last few months.

“To sell out the Skydome is a fantastic achievement and Andy and his staff deserve a lot of credit.”

(Image permission: Scott Wiggins)