GB Women have everything in place to maximise Winter Olympic potential in Sheffield

MIKE CLANCY believes Great Britain Women’s ice hockey team has come a long way since he first took over three years ago as he plans to help them take another major step forward.

This week sees GB handed home ice advantage in the 2026 Winter Olympics qualifiers at Ice Sheffield.

Finishing top of a group containing the Netherlands, Latvia and Spain will put GB through to the final stage of qualifying in February and offer the chance to reach the Milan-Cortina Games 12 months later.

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It was the same stage of qualifying back in October 2021 that welcomed Clancy when he first took over the women’s national team.

On the up: GB women's team celebrate winning promotion in 2022. In Sheffield this week they are targeting the Olympics (Picture: Ice Hockey UK Media)On the up: GB women's team celebrate winning promotion in 2022. In Sheffield this week they are targeting the Olympics (Picture: Ice Hockey UK Media)
On the up: GB women's team celebrate winning promotion in 2022. In Sheffield this week they are targeting the Olympics (Picture: Ice Hockey UK Media)

Again, they enjoyed home ice advantage - on that occasion in Nottingham - but were forced to settle for second place after a 2-1 defeat to Slovenia proved costly.

Korea, a team they needed to beat by two goals but could only defeat 1-0, were the beneficiaries when they made it through to the next stage.

Under Clancy, the GB team responded in the best way possible, clinching gold and the promotion associated with it at the Division 2A World Championships the following April in Spain.

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Since then, the team has stabilised in the third tier of the international game, only being edged out 3-2 when competing for a silver medal at the Division 1B championships against hosts Latvia in April this year.

GB Women's ice hockey coach Mike Clancy (Picture: Ice Hockey UK Media)GB Women's ice hockey coach Mike Clancy (Picture: Ice Hockey UK Media)
GB Women's ice hockey coach Mike Clancy (Picture: Ice Hockey UK Media)

GB will enjoy home ice advantage again when they stage next year’s Division 1B worlds in Dumfries in April but, for now, all eyes are focused on the next few days in South Yorkshire.

Last month, two warm-up games were played against Poland at Lee Valley, while Clancy’s team have also taken on Spain and the Netherlands in warm-up games this week ahead of when they open their qualifying campaign against Latvia on Thursday (face-off 4pm).

Such preparation is just one example of how things have improved during Clancy’s time at the helm.

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“Preparations are a little bit different compared to back in 2021,” said Clancy. “We were still just coming out of the pandemic, so fitness wasn’t quite there, we were selecting the team without seeing many people on the ice, or getting them training together.

“We’ve come a long way since then. Preparation has been fantastic for these Olympic qualifiers and it’s a more supportive programme in many ways - everyone is trying to set us up for success where they can.”

Of the four teams competing, GB are ranked second-highest at 21 in the world, with the Netherlands - who GB close the tournament out against on Sunday - going in as pre-tournament favourites, sat four places higher and having been embedded in the second-tier Division 1A worlds since winning promotion before the pandemic. Spain, who GB play on Saturday, are ranked one tier below, while the opening day encounter against Latvia offers GB the chance for some swift revenge for their defeat at the worlds in Riga.

Confidence is high in the GB camp. “We’ve never talked about coming second,” insisted Clancy. “All-round, the group is really confident and we’re planning to compete at the highest level that we possibly can and certainly looking and planning to go to the next round of the qualifiers.

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“We have to take having home ice as a huge boost to our chances.

“Being in Sheffield means getting our families there, getting our supporters there and hopefully filling the arena, something the girls would love to do. It helps the girls compete at the best level they can.”

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