A goal 11 seconds from the end of overtime gave Poland a 4-3 victory over Great Britain at the National Ice Centre on Saturday night.
.It was the first of two international games between the two sides this weekend and they will meet again at the Skydome Arena in Coventry tomorrow (Sunday) at 5:15pm.
A crowd of 4,000 saw GB battle back to tie the game two minutes from time to set up the extra period at the NIC.
Poland went ahead after nine minutes as Grzegorz Pasiut shot low past Ben Bowns for a first-period lead.
GB made the perfect response after the first intermission when Craig Peacock fired glove side past Rafal Radziszewski in the 21st minute.
Jonathan Weaver’s strike from the bluleline in the final minute of the second period gave GB a 2-1 lead.
Two powerplay goals in the final session by Krystian Dziubinski and Pawel Dronia looked to have given Poland the win, but Robert Farmer’s effort two minutes from the end of normal time forced the extra period.
Mateusz Bepierszcz grabbed the deciding goal with time ticking away to seal the win for Poland.
Head Coach Pete Russell said: “It was a good test against a good team. They were tested and bent in the second period, but didn’t break.
“I was pleased with the defenisve effort, especially as we limited Poland’s high-percentage scoring chances.
“There were good showings all over the ice and in particular I thought the Garside, Phillips and Haywood unit looked good.
“Tomorrow we will look at the rest of the players in the squad, apart from Matthew Myers who is recovering from a virus.”
Nottingham Panthers’ forward Evan Mosey says he was proud to make his debut in GB colours.
“It was very special making my debut – it is something that has been one of my goals for a long time,” he said.
“My family were so excited about it. My grandma was born in England, as was my grandad who passed away recently.
“To stand there with my GB shirt on during the national anthem was amazing.
“It was a new style of hockey for me and something I have never experienced before.
“It is a steep learning curve but something I really enjoyed.”
(Image permission: Karl Denham)
