Local Interest is High for Next Ice Hockey World Championship Tournament
World Championship Ice Hockey is returning to Dumfries Ice Bowl this March, with talented locals lined up to play a pivotal role for the Great Britain Under 18s team.
The Ice Bowl will play host to the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Men’s Under 18s World Championship (Division II – Group A) between March 24-30, which features Great Britain, Croatia, Korea, Lithuania, Netherlands and Romania. The Council will again co-manage the event in partnership with Ice Hockey UK.
Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Ice Hockey Development Officer Martin Grubb has been confirmed as the Head Coach for the national team, and the final squad features Josh Grieveson, the highly talented 16 year old who learnt to play hockey at Dumfries Ice Bowl before leaving the town aged just 13, to take up an ice hockey scholarship at Northwood School, in New York State, USA.
The most recent International Ice Hockey Federation championship to take place in Dumfries, the Under 20s Category 1B tournament in December 2013, was hailed as a superb success by organisers.
High quality play, large crowds and the presence of celebrity fans in the stands contributed to the feel good factor around the Championship, a vibe which went through the roof when ice hockey’s holy grail, the Stanley Cup, landed in Scotland for the first time.
The December World Championship also created a £100,000 plus economic boost for Dumfries and Galloway. The March event will create a similar windfall for local accommodation providers, as many hundreds of ‘bed-nights’ are required for the participating national teams.
Councillor Colin Smyth, the Council’s Events Champion said, “The Council has done well to bring yet another world class event to our region, to create a superb sporting spectacle for local people and a cast iron economic boost for the business community. My hope is that more and more people come along to the Ice Bowl to enjoy what is a brilliant and engrossing spectator sport, and get right behind the GB Under 18s Ice Hockey team.”
Andy French, the General Secretary of Ice Hockey UK said, “Our partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council is very strong, and I am sure we will again deliver another special World Championship, that introduces more people to the great sport that is ice hockey.”
Ticket prices for the matches will be announced shortly, with tickets due to go on sale from mid-February.
