Two of our Solway Sharks Juniors are once again making their presence felt on the international stage.
First up is Cassie MacGregor who has been selected for the women’s U18 Great Britain team and after a long selection process where she competed against the best players in the UK. She impressed the coaches with her skills and hard work. Cassie was delighted to make the 20 player team.
You can come along and see Cassie in the IIHF World Championship which is taking place in the Dumfries Ice Bowl from the 21st to the 27th of January 2023 which will host 6 teams from GB, Australia, Latvia, Mexico, Netherlands and Turkey.
Great Britain Head Coach Angela Taylor said “The recent Four Nations tournament in Poland was great preparation for the Worlds. What’s even better is that this roster has just one change, so there is real continuity in the squad. We have a talented and mature group of girls on this team and the coaching staff look forward to working with them again. We feel confident in everyone and their ability to contribute.”
Second up is Kyle Carruth, who has been selected to play for the Great Britain U18, as 1 of the 29 players to take part in a selection camp in December for next year’s World Championship. Kyle is going from strength to strength in the sport he loves and always shows hard work and dedication which is paying off for him no end. He also carries out a role in helping to coach the lower junior age groups.
The team will travel to Belgrade, Serbia for the World Championship Division II Group A from 16th to 22nd April 2023 and this will be made up of a 6 team group GB, Croatia, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia and Spain.
Head Coach, Sean Easton, said: “With only a few players remaining in the squad from last year’s team, it’s once again a fresh start and new-look team. We are down to 25 skaters and four goalies which will be down to team after the three-day camp. We will be starting to implement our systems and that will give us a good understanding as a coaching group to be able to see what our final team will look like. It’s a big year for a lot of the players. It’s important they get to play senior hockey from now until the next camp to elevate their game to the next level’’
Junior Sharks Chair Leanne Thomson commented, “Being invited to represent Great Britain on the international stage is a huge honour, and an opportunity for these players to showcase their talents. They have worked hard to ensure they are as prepared as they can be, and they both deserve to be very proud of themselves. To have players involved at GB level from a relatively small club shows the elite level that players in the local junior club can reach, courtesy of the player progression pathway. Both players have progressed through our successful junior program and their call-ups for GB shows the opportunities available to our young, committed players. Everyone at the club is very proud of them and their achievement, and we wish them luck.’
Martin Grubb – Solway Head Coach commented ‘As an athlete, representing your country is one or the biggest honours you can get and Cassie has worked really hard and battles through some challenges to make sure she made the team. This will be even more special for her and her family as she is playing for Great Britain in a World Championship in her home rink and that truly is a special feeling. We are all proud of her and know she will do a great job for her team.
Kyle has been in the GB program for a couple of years but when you move up an age group you need to make sure you work even harder as the competition for places intensifies. He has improved throughout the season with both the juniors and also his senior experience and that will help him hugely as he progresses to the final selection camp. Again everyone is proud and as a club we are all proud that we continue to produce internationally recognised athletes and wish them the best of luck’.
