Gold for Lightning coach Pete Russell

At the competition held in Belfast last week, Team GB triumphed in Division 1A with an unbeaten record - the only team in the group to do so. In a thrilling final game at the SSE Arena last Saturday, Russell's men lifted the gold award with a 4-0 win against Japan. The previous evening Great Britain steamrollered the Netherlands, putting no fewer than 14 unanswered goals past their opposition.

Team GB's comprehensive triumph in the tournament earned them promotion to Division 1A for the 2017-18 season, where they will face opposition including Poland, Kazakhstan and Hungary.

Saturday evening's gold medal game came less than three weeks after Russell's MK Lightning team signed off their 15 year tenure in the English Premier League by winning the Play Off Championship and six weeks after lifting the EPL Cup for the first time in the club's history.

Speaking about the Team GB gold medal success Coach Russell said: "This is the biggest moment of my career and it is a fantastic feeling. To do it on home ice in front of so many fantastic supporters really is amazing.

“Those boys deserve it. They were so focused all week. Nothing fazed them. I am so proud of every one of them and they deserve the promotion.

"The backing of the British fans was phenomenal, as always. And it was fantastic to see and hear quite a few MK Lightning supporters in the Arena wearing our jerseys and hoodies and waving an MKL flag - we couldn't have asked for better backing!"

But there's little chance to rest and reflect on his and his teams' achievements; Coach Russell now has the task of building an MK Lightning side to compete at the top tier of the sport in the UK, as part of the Elite League playing teams including the famous Nottingham Panthers, Belfast Giants and Cardiff Devils.