Ice hockey: Britain in the safe hands of teenager Lyle

Shannon Hope, the Great Britain captain, believes the national team's hopes of returning to the sport's elite may rest in the hands of a teenager. Hope is confident that the 17-year-old netminder Stevie Lyle will prove a key figure in Britain's attempt to regain their top status in their World Pool B Championship campaign in Poland.

He expects his Cardiff Devils club-mate to be named as Britain's first- choice keeper for the 10-day tournament which begins tonight with a match against the hosts. "Steve might still be a teenager, but he is one of the best netminders in the Superleague," Hope said. "He was a big factor in us winning it this year."

Britain need to win the eight-team competition to secure automatic promotion to Pool A where they would again meet the likes of Russia, Canada and the United States. They were last in the elite pool three seasons ago when, because of a lack of preparation, they lost all their games and were relegated.