Great Britain’s IIHF World Championship survival hopes took a serious hit on Tuesday night as Hungary handed them a brutal 5-0 defeat. With GB still searching for their first win of the tournament, the pressure is mounting fast — and time is running out to secure top-flight status.
GB Ice Hockey Struggle to Contain Hungary’s Clinical Attack
Ben Bowns made an early pad save to keep it level, but Hungary needed just over two minutes to break the deadlock. Krisztian Nagy fired short side from the right circle, and GB found themselves chasing the game almost immediately. Josh Waller twice missed the target from the slot, and Nathanael Halbert was denied by Bence Balizs’s pads as GB briefly found some rhythm midway through the opening period. However, Dominik Szongoth killed that momentum stone dead, scoring on his backhand with 1:46 left in the first to double the Hungarian lead.
The second period made grim viewing. Istvan Terbocs broke away to finish a shorthanded goal early on, stretching Hungary’s advantage to three and forcing Bowns from the net — Mat Robson stepped in between the pipes. To his credit, Robson immediately made his presence felt, stopping Csanad Erdely with his skate before Joe Hazeldine cleared off the line to prevent a fourth. GB pushed back. Liam Kirk went close twice on the powerplay, Waller rattled the top of the crossbar, and Cade Neilson fired just over from the slot. But the Brits couldn’t convert, and that proved costly.
Terbocs and Nagy Seal a Painful Result in the Third Period
Defensively, GB showed some resolve. They killed penalties either side of the second intermission, and Robson turned away efforts from Erdely and Szongoth during a Hungary powerplay in the third. Johnny Curran threatened on a breakaway at the other end, but GB simply couldn’t find the net. Then, with the game already difficult, Hungary delivered the killer blow — two goals in 41 brutal seconds. Terbocs finished across Robson on a two-on-one, and Nagy followed up less than a minute later from the slot to make it five.
As we covered after their earlier loss to Switzerland, GB are finding life at the top level unforgiving. The squad will have no game on Wednesday, giving them a brief window to regroup before they face hosts Switzerland on Thursday at 20:20 local time (19:20 BST). For the latest on the IIHF World Championship, stay across all the action as GB’s top-flight future hangs in the balance.