Great Britain secured the silver medal at the inaugural Ultimate Hockey 3×3 tournament in the stunning outdoor setting in front of the Olympiaworld Innsbruck in Austria.
GB qualified for the semi-finals with four victories from four in Group B with two wins over Austria and two victories over Netherlands.
In this afternoon semi-final, GB beat Estonia 4-3 in a dramatic game which was only settled in the final minute.
Jonathan McBean, Thomas Freel and Cameron Briere put GB into a 3-1 lead just over five minutes into the second period.
Estonia hit back with two goals in 27 seconds before Kell Beattie scored the game-winner with just one minute remaining to set-up a final showdown with Hungary.
Defeat to Hungary in final but GB secure silver
Under the lights in the Gold Medal Game against Hungary, GB raced into a 3-1 lead with goals for Logan Neilson, Carter Hamill and Johnny Curran.
After Hungary roared back to level, Neilson’s second of the night put GB 4-3 ahead early in the second period.
Hungary then took control and scored six unanswered goals to secure the gold medal.
Head Coach, Corey Neilson, said: “It was a fantastic coaching experience for me. Coaching a brand-new game helped me to rethink and fall in love with this beautiful game all over again.
“Some of these young Brits don’t get a ton of love in an excellent 15-import league really. They’ve never even had an experience in a 3×3 situation or a championship moment.
“But they played with heart and passion and, more importantly, skill. They were a credit to the flag. They played the GB way and were easily the most coachable team I’ve had in many years.
“It was a pleasure to help lead such a positive and energetic group. The last period didn’t go our way but, I think we can hold our heads high and look forward to a future of high-quality, dedicated young men to push the British game forward.”
Great Britain results
Friday 10th April: Great Britain 8-5 Netherlands
Friday 10th April: Austria 6-10 Great Britain
Saturday 11th April: Netherlands 6-8 Great Britain
Saturday 11th April: Great Britain 6-3 Austria
Sunday 12th April: Semi-final – Great Britain 4-3 Estonia
Sunday 12th April: Final – Great Britain 4-9 Hungary
Full game schedule and results: https://www.iihf.com/en/static/72583/game_schedule
Standings: https://www.iihf.com/en/static/72584/standings
Team stats: https://www.iihf.com/en/static/72585/team_statistics
Player stats:
Photos: Sebastian Marko.