Nothing less than gold will do for Great Britain U20s says ex Sheffield Steeler Liam Kirk

Liam Kirk says he is privileged to captain Great Britain Under-20s for the World Championship Division II Group A tournament in Tallinn, which start today...and promises the team will be chasing a gold medal.
Liam KirkLiam Kirk
Liam Kirk

GB face off against Lithuania U20s at 6pm and his new role as skipper is one he is taking very seriously.

"It’s a huge honour to be named the captain, it’s a responsibility that I enjoy having and embrace" the former Sheffield Steelers winger said.

"We have so many leaders throughout the team and I’m confident we will have success this year.

"We have one of the best teams I’ve played on at GB juniors. I believe we have so much depth throughout the team and our offence should lead the tournament."

Kirk isn't in the market of predicting results

You never know what to expect in these tournaments" he said.

"The results from the practice games mean nothing, as soon as the tournament starts everything changes.

"As long as we stay disciplined and stick to our game plan, we are all expecting nothing less than gold."

Kirk, 19, can ice in U20 games but not for the men's GB side until his Canadian team Peterborough Petes complete the playoff schedule.

The son of Maltby said of his time in north America: "It’s going good, it was a struggle at first with all the changes but now I'm starting to feel comfortable and my game is getting better.

"With the ice being, so small the game is faster and you learn to play quick and think quicker."

All of GB U20s’ World Championship games will be shown on free-to-air television in the UK on FreeSports.

Great Britain U20s World Championship schedule (all face-offs listed as UK time)

Sunday 13th January: GB U20s v Lithuania U20s – 6pm LIVE

Monday 14th January: Korea U20s v GB U20s – 2:30pm LIVE

Wednesday 16th January: GB U20s v Estonia U20s – 6pm (Delayed FreeSports coverage at 10:30pm after live EIHL game)

Thursday 17th January: Romania U20s v GB U20s – 2:30pm LIVE

Saturday 19th January: GB U20s v Spain U20s – 11am LIVE