U-20s World Championship:

Great Britain Under-20s secured their first victory at this year’s World Championships Division One (Group A) in Belarus.

Following on from Monday’s brave 6-1 defeat to top-seeds Latvia, GB beat Italy 2-0 with Ben Bowns securing a 45-shot shut-out.

After a scoreless first period with no penalties to either side, the GB youngsters took the lead through a penalty shot by former Nottingham Lions forward Jack Prince at 20:17.

A flurry of penalties followed with GB missing two powerplay opportunities, but also killing four penalties, including 90 seconds of five on three.

Their battling spirit was rewarded as the period came to a close when Robert Farmer netted short-handed at 39:42, assisted by Ben Davies.

Just six penalty minutes were handed out in the final session, four to Italy and two for GB, but most importantly the period remained scoreless and Pete Russell’s men secured victory with a fantastic performance.