Great Britain lose to Austria in opening game
Five players made their full Great Britain debuts on Saturday
- Published
Great Britain's opening game of the 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship ended in defeat as they were beaten 5-2 by Austria in Group A.
All seven goals came in a frantic opening two periods in Switzerland including a double from Austria's Peter Schneider.
Pete Russell's side gave themselves a mountain to climb early on as they quickly fell 3-0 behind in what was a high-scoring first period.
Goals from David Clements and Liam Kirk pulled the score back to 3-2 after one before Austria extended their lead to three again before the end of the second.
Mat Robson made two big late saves on the penalty-kill as the first of seven group games ended in defeat for Great Britain.
Elsewhere in the group, hosts Switzerland won their opening game 3-1 against the USA on Friday while Finland beat Germany by the same scoreline.
In Group B, the Czech Republic lead the way having beaten Denmark 4-1 in their opening game, while Canada are in second after a 5-3 victory over Sweden.
