Great Britain Roster

1996

Doug McEwen and Shannon Hope both wore the captain's C during the qualifying games

# also iced for Newcastle Warriors

Obituary

On 13th June, 1998, GB international Lee Saunders was tragically killed in Amsterdam.While on a cycling tour through the Dutch capital, he was hit by a tram and died instantly.

Originally from South Shields, Lee Saunders learnt to play ice hockey in Canada before returning to Britain. He enjoyed spells with the Lee Valley Lions, Basingstoke Beavers, Milton Keynes Kings, Guildford Flames and Peterborough Pirates. He also played in Europe with EC Graz in Austria and Sterzing in Vipiteno, Italy.

Olympic Qualifying Games – 1995/96.

The road to the Winter Olympics of 1998 staged in Nagano Japan began in the autumn of 1995 with the first round of qualifying games and Great Britain were to miss out on progression to the second phase by just one goal and one point.

A period spanning a week short of fourteen months saw the sides selected and iced by national team coach Peter Woods go unbeaten through all eight games they played and incredibly still finish runners-up to Switzerland by virtue of the final game between the two sides being tied 3-3 in Sheffield. Woods was in tears as the final hooter sounded and justifiably so.

Having gotten his charges to the top of the group after five games, Woods knew Great Britain would qualify if they won the remaining three games. Having already tied with the Swiss in Lausanne, confidence was high that the six points needed could be attained. After comfortable victories over Slovenia and Holland, the cause was boosted as the British Olympic Committee contributed with a grant which, enabled Woods to hold Great Britain’s first ever week long training camp in preparation for the final hurdle. Included in the training camp was a challenge match, held in Blackburn, against the touring University of Manitoba hockey team, coincidentally Woods’ old Canadian college side. Great Britain maintained their winning ways beating the collegians 5-3 to send them into that fateful final game in good heart.

Ahead of the game Woods noted, “Victory is very important to us as an ice hockey nation. If we are not successful, I am not sure what direction the national programme might go in. We have put many eggs in one basket and if it goes wrong, some people might say they have had enough.”

The must-win game against the Swiss began badly with Tim Cranston drawing a roughing penalty after only 21 seconds and Celio scoring on the resulting powerplay. Richard Little tied the game up barely 15 seconds after the re-start, but Kessler made it 2-1 to the Swiss at 14:35 with Mike Bishop in the penalty box. Shortly before the first break, Cranston made amends for his earlier indiscretion with a powerplay equaliser of his own. In the second period, Doug McEwen put Great Britain ahead for the first time only for Ivankovich to squeeze a shot between netminder Bill Morrisons’ pads and the post to make it 3-3. Great Britain attacked relentlessly through the final twenty minutes, but the Swiss held out and it was they who celebrated at the final hooter.

Throughout the course of the campaign, he brought together a total of thirty players and they served both him and the national cause superbly. Only with the benefit of hindsight, can people wonder whether Great Britain would have got that extra goal and point if high-scoring forwards Tony Hand and Rick Brebant had made themselves available for selection.

General

Manager

Team

Manager

World Championships, Pool B – 1996 in Holland.

Venue – Eindhoven.

For the return to the scene of arguably their best ever World Championship campaign, Great Britain had appointed a new national team coach in Peter Woods. Consolidation was what Woods had in mind as the team made their way to Holland and although the eventual fourth place finish from the eight team pool left some observers disappointed, it did represent a first step forward on the road back.

It also represented a sterling recovery from the initial two losses that started the campaign, although arguably the most disappointing result of the tournament was the 3-3 tie against Japan, who failed to win a game, but who did mange ties with both Denmark and Poland. The new coach brought influence as well as reputation and the benefits of an Olympic qualifying tournament (which ran throughout the season) and an 8-day training camp indicated that preparation would not be so overlooked again, indeed it was only the tie with Japan that cost Great Britain the bronze medal place.

Paul Adey and Tim Cranston, who each bagged 4+4 from the seven games played, shared the individual scoring honours.

Reflecting on his first World Championship outing, coach Peter Woods felt that the fourth place was “ a strong finish. We were very well prepared; the players were focused and wanted to be successful. It has been a rewarding competition.”