By Emily Laycock
Ben O’Connor believes that Great Britain proved they belong after giving world number one Canada a tough challenge in their first game of the World Championship in Prague.
GB took the lead in the first period with a goal from Liam Kirk, a significant improvement from their previous 8-0 loss to Canada.
O’Connor commented on the team’s progress, stating, “It just shows how far we’ve come as a team.”
Following their gold medal win in Nottingham last year, Pete Russell’s team earned promotion back to the top flight for the 2024 World Championship in Czechia.
O’Connor expressed, “I think we showed everyone again that we deserve to be here.”
Facing the top-ranked team in the world could have been daunting, but O’Connor’s highlight reel goal in the third period highlighted Britain’s strength and determination.
He mentioned, “We watch them on TV everyday in the NHL highlights and I thought we did ourselves proud.”
Looking ahead to their next game against Finland, O’Connor emphasized the need to address mistakes and continue to improve.
GB’s upcoming matches include facing Switzerland on Wednesday after a couple of rest days following their game against Finland.
