A record crowd of over 6,700 watched Great Britain beat Italy at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on Saturday.
The attendance of 6,710 was a new high for a GB international game in the UK and the sold-out crowd created a fantastic atmosphere as they roared Pete Russell’s side to a thrilling victory.
It crowned a superb few days of attendances as a near-capacity crowd of 2,347 watched part one of the GB-Italy series at Planet Ice Milton Keynes.
Head Coach, Pete Russell, said: “It was awesome how they backed the team and awesome the team gave the crowd a performance.
“To see the buildings full was fantastic and it really inspired the team. It was good for the young guys to get that experience.
“I thought we gave a complete performance in the third period in Nottingham and it was great to send so many people home happy.”
Netminder Mat Robson made his GB debut, making 33 saves, and explained how important the backing from the fans was in both games.
“It was a really cool experience in Nottingham,” said Robson. “My first game putting on the jersey. It was a really proud moment for myself and my family.
“The support was fantastic and really helped, not only in Nottingham but also in Milton Keynes as well.”
Italy took game one with a 6-4 victory which was only secured with an empty-net goal by Tommaso de Luca with 26 seconds remaining.
Earlier, Logan Neilson scored twice and there were also goals for Johnny Curran and Brett Perlini as GB led 2-0 and 4-3 at one stage.
At the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on Saturday, first-period goals from Jack Hopkins and David Clements put GB into a two-goal lead.
Tommy Purdeller closed the gap before Ollie Betteridge scored on his home ice and Curran wrapped the game up with an empty-netter.
GB continue their training camp in Nottingham this week before flying to Italy at the weekend to continue the four-game series.
The two sides will meet in Varese on Sunday 10th May (15:30 BST) and Tuesday 12th May (18:50 BST) to continue their preparations for the World Championship in Switzerland later this month.
Both games can be followed via a live webcast which can be purchased here, with a special discounted option for a dual away-game package.
GB will face Austria, USA, Hungary, Switzerland, Finland, Latvia and Germany in the group stages of the World Championship at the 12,000-seater Swiss Life Arena in Zurich.
Group B – which is being held at the 9,000-seater BCF Arena in Fribourg, consists of Canada, Sweden, Czechia, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway, Slovenia and Italy.