Great Britain’s Under 18s Ice Hockey team returned recently from the World Championship in Tallinn, Estonia, with a coveted Bronze Medal, and their success was made in Dumfries.
The national team was coached by Martin Grubb, who acts as Dumfries and Galloway’s Ice Hockey Development Officer and coaches the Solway Sharks.
Martin is carving out a highly successful coaching career in Ice Hockey, and has led the Under 18s since 2013. He is very well regarded by Ice Hockey UK and is also part of the Great Britain Under 20s coaching staff.
The medal winning Great Britain team included two players with strong local connections.
Josh Grieveson, 18, came through the Solway Sharks junior teams before securing a scholarship to play ice hockey in New York State aged just thirteen years old. Josh has therefore lived away from home in the last five years and has represented Great Britain at all ages up to Under 20s level. He is now playing with the Middlesex Black Bears in the US High School League, an important feeder league into professional ice hockey.
Connor Henderson, 17, from Castle Douglas played up through the junior teams and into the senior Solway Sharks team before winning his move to the Ontario Hockey Academy in Canada. Connor has represented Scotland at all age groups including playing in many tournaments abroad, and he has won Scottish top point scorer at every level competing for the Solway Sharks Junior Ice Hockey Club in the national leagues.
Councillor Tom McAughtrie, Chair of the Community and Customer Services Committee said;
“The Council is committed to the development of ice hockey and Martin, Josh and Connor’s success is testimony to the skills and desire they possess to reach the top in their sport. They have benefitted from Council investment in sport and at the Ice Bowl specifically and I am very pleased to hear of their achievements in Tallinn.”
Martin Grubb said;
“In a highly competitive World Championship Division II Group A Great Britain performed consistently well to win Bronze. We were really competitive in all of our matches and we were a constant threat going forward. I was delighted as Head Coach with the terrific attitude of all my players, and to have Josh and Connor as part of our roster.”
Dumfries is a hot spot for ice hockey, and the Solway Sharks and the Council work closely together to create opportunities for people of all ages to take up the sport.
Dumfries is home to Scotland’s only female ice hockey team and the town has hosted four World Championship tournaments in the past two years and is bidding to bring the Under 20s Division 1 Group B tournament to the Ice Bowl in December 2015.
(main photo from left to right)
Josh Grieveson, Martin Grubb, Mark Gallagher and Connor Henderson back in Dumfries after securing the Bronze Medal position for Great Britain Under 18s at the recent World Championship in Tallinn, Estonia
