Great Britain were beaten 3-0 by the USA in their fourth game of the 2022 IIHF World Championship in Finland.
Jackson Whistle was given his first start of the tournament as GB matched the world’s fourth-ranked team for large parts of the game in the Group B encounter in the Nokia Arena in Tampere.
Bright start for GB in first period
GB had four powerplay opportunities in the first period, with chances for Robert Dowd, Brett Perlini and David Phillips, while Ben O’Connor also went close.
At the other end, Whistle turned away 13 USA shots including a point-blank save to deny Thomas Bordeleau and he also had to be at his best to deny Vinni Lettieri short-handed.
Second-period lead for USA
USA took the lead with a well-worked goal as Andrew Peeke’s pass was tipped in by Ben Meyers in the slot (28:20).
GB’s chances were limited but Josh Waller used his speed to break into the offensive zone on the left wing, but his shot went just over.
Bellows double secures USA win
Kieffer Bellows scored two powerplay goals within four minutes of the restart to make the game safe for the USA.
His shot from low down in the right circle deflected in off Whistle (40:58), which was followed by a pin-point blast over Whistle’s shoulder (43:41).
Neilson: GB come a long way in short space of time
GB Assistant Coach, Corey Neilson, said: ” We are very proud of the guys. They stuck at the task really well.
“But at this level you need to take your chances and we had some missed opportunities on the powerplay.
“We have come a long way in a short space of time though and in the past would have given up 60 shots in this game.
“We can take the positives out of the game and build on them for the rest of the tournament.”
GB are straight back into action today as they face hosts Finland at 16:20 (14:20 UK time).
