Great Britain Under-18 Women put in a fantastic performance and beat Poland Under-18 Women 3-1 in their second game in Group B of the IIHF World Championship (Division 1 Qualification) in Radenthein, Austria.
Netminder Izzy Wallace turned away 33 of the 34 shots she faced and was only denied a shutout by a controversial late Poland goal.
Wallace made two early saves to deny Wiktoria Dziwok, firstly on a wraparound and then after a shot from the left circle.
GB quickly burst into life and after Shannon Douglas went close, they scored two goals in 31 seconds.
Casey Traill got the final touch to a shot from Douglas to make it 1-0 at 6:01 and Louise Beresford netted at the backdoor from a pass by Lizzie Saunders to make it two (6:32).
Wallace made three excellent stops in the early stages of the second period as GB struggled for possession.
After soaking up so much Poland pressure, GB broke down the other end and scored with only their second shot of the period, as Katie Marsden set up Douglas at the backdoor (37:40).
Poland twice thought they’d scored, once at the end of the second period and again early in the third, but each time referee Kuroda had blown for a face-off.
Gruber was denied on a breakaway late in the third period, before Poland scored at 59:08 through Wiktoria Gogoc.
The goal appeared to be offside and was only given after lengthy discussions between the officials.
Head coach, Michelle Smith, said: “We are so proud of them, they were brilliant out there.
“They did everything we asked of them and more. There were a few tears on the bench, it was very special.
“We had to withstand a lot pressure, especially in the second period, but they held firm and it was a terrific win.
“The spirit is fantastic in this squad and it was a fully deserved victory.”
There are no games tomorrow (Saturday) but GB return to action with their final group game on Sunday when they face Australia at 11:45am (10:45am UK time).
GB scoring: Douglas 1+1, Beresford 1, Traill 1, Marsden +1, Saunders +1
GB netminding: 33/34