Great Britain maintained their B-Pool status for another season as the 2023 World Para Ice Hockey Championships came to a close in Astana.

A 14-player squad made the trip to Kazakhstan, and it proved to be a successful outing as a 4-1 win over Finland in their fourth fixture meant GB stayed outside of the relegation places.

They came close to a second win too, pushing hosts Kazakhstan all the way before ultimately falling to a 4-3 defeat.

The event, which concluded on Wednesday 11 October, was won by an unbeaten Japan as they earned a spot in the A-Pool next season.

GB were competing at a higher level in 2023 after winning the C-Pool World Championships last time around.

Photo credit: Para Ice Hockey

Six women who participated in August’s Women’s World Challenge were included in Great Britain’s roster – a record for an international open division tournament – with Dani Watts scoring a goal and Stacey Quirk adding an assist.

Speaking after the win over Finland, assistant coach Naomi Jenks said: “First win as an international coach for Great Britain… that was special!

“I’m incredibly honoured, incredibly proud. These men and women fought for every goal. We retain in Pool B, we win as a team.”

The EIHA would like to congratulate Para Ice Hockey GB on their success at the tournament, and look forward to seeing the squad continue to grow in the months and years ahead.