GB will need to play ‘three best games of our lives’ – Tait

After winning the last round of qualifiers in Japan, the GB team are one step away from qualifying for next year’s Games in Sochi, Russia. But they face a stiff challenge in Riga against the hosts, as well as France and Kazakhstan.

Heading in as the lowest-ranked team – GB are 21st in the world while Latvia are 11th – most people have already written off the chances of Tony Hand’s players before they have even stepped off the plane.

But, at least among the players and coaching team, there is a steely self-belief that they can pull off what would amount to a major shock and qualify for Sochi 2014.

“We know it’s going to be tough, of course it is, but I think we genuinely believe that something special could happen out in Riga,” said Sheffield Steelers forward Tait. “We know that in order to make the Olympics we have to go to Latvia and each and everyone of us has to play the three best games of our lives.

“In all my time of playing for GB this is the tightest bunch of players I’ve ever seen in a national squad. And I genuinely mean that – everybody is willing to fight for each other.

Tonight sees Hand’s team play a warm-up match against a team of Imports at Ice Sheffield (7.30pm) before they head down to London to catch an early-morning flight to out to Riga.

The first match pits them against favourites Latvia on Thursday (5pm UK time) before further tests follow against France, on Friday and – following a rest day – Kazakhstan on Sunday.

Following the retirement of David Longstaff last week, Tait is now the most capped GB player heading to Riga. But despite his 89 appearances, the 37-year-old gets the same sensation as he did when he made his debut in 1995.

“It’s always a lot more special when you play for your country,” said Tait, who is joined in the squad by fellow Steelers Jonathan Phillips, Jason Hewitt, Mark Thomas, Danny Meyers and Rod Sarich. “It’s always a big moment for me to pull that jersey on over my head. I still get a big buzz – and I think that’s the same for a lot of the older guys in the squad.”

Should they overcome the odds and qualify for Sochi, it will the first appearance at a Winter Olympics by a men’s ice hockey team since 1948, when they fi nished fifth.

That notable achievement came only 12 years after GB won an unexpected gold medal in Germany.

Eight years ago, the British squad wasn’t even able to compete in Olympic qualifying due to a lack of funding in the game.

This time around a warm-up game and a two-day training camp – held in Manchester two weeks ago – will be considered something of a luxury for GB’s players and coaching staff given the lack of support they have received in previous years.

They still have some way to reach the preparation levels likely to have been enjoyed by their counterparts in Riga this week – particularly the hosts Latvia.

It remains to be seen whether the GB squad is given the same support and backing with preparations for the World Championships Division One tournament which they will contest in Budapest, in Hungary, between April 14-20.

“This feels like this it is a massive opportunity for us as players,” added Tait.

“I can’t think of any group of games bigger than these in our recent history – you have to go a long, long way back to find something as big as this.

“You could see how big the Olympics were last year in London. It would be nice if we could somehow build on that momentum in some way. More than anyone else, we have to believe we can make it.”