Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Fans will get a chance to witness international ice
hockey when the world under-20 division three world
championships are played in Dunedin next week.
New Zealand will be one of six teams competing for the title,
and with the top two teams gaining promotion to the second
division there is plenty to play for.
Coach Stephen Reid said the Junior Ice Blacks go into the
tournament confident they can do better than their
fourth-place ranking.
"We are realistic about how hard it is going to be, but we
have a real competitive squad ofy oung guys that are playing
to win it."The 20-man squad, which features four players from
Queenstown, two from Gore and two from Dunedin, has assembled
for three mini-camps in the lead-up to the tournament.
This has enabled the team to work on combinations, build
camaraderie and become more competitive, Reid said.
He expected the toughest opposition to come from No 1 ranked
Iceland and China.
"'Iceland have dropped down from division two, so they will
have a point to prove, and you always have to be wary of
China, who are an all-round solid outfit.'"
Reid said his team was well-rounded, with three key leaders.
Queenstown's Mitch Frear will captain the side, with
Dunedin's Regan Wilson and Auckland's Jordan Challis the
assistant captains. Both Challis and Wilson are members of
the Ice Blacks.
Reid said there were "three or four" players looking to break
into the senior side and a good performance next week could
see them get the call-up.
The tournament starts at the Dunedin Ice Stadium on Tuesday
and finishes on Sunday.
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