Three recent Leavers travelled to Sofia, Bulgaria, to compete in the IIHF U20 Ice Hockey World Championships, earning an outstanding silver medal.
Ian Audas, Jack Lewis and Max Simpson, all three recent Leavers, are some of the premier Ice Hockey talent to come out of both the College and Dunedin in recent years. Making regular appearances for Dunedin's top Ice Hockey team, the Phoenix Thunder, they were selected to travel to Bulgaria to compete in the Division III Group A Under 20 World Championships.
Following on from the success at last year's South Island Secondary Schools tournament, Jack Lewis and Max Simpson, both 2023 Leavers, have continued their fine run of form. Ian Audas, 2022 Leaver, has become a mainstay for the Thunder and keeps adding impressive achievements to his already long list, including a selection to the Men's Ice Blacks team in 2024, the highest honour in New Zealand Ice Hockey, as a result of his impressive play.
The team had an exceptional campaign, only dropping one game in their week of matchups. This game was first up, as they ran into an impressive Israel squad, who would eventually go on to win the tournament, and went down 8-6. NZ managed to right the ship next game, putting twelve goals past Kyrgyzstan in a strong win. The rest of the week featured close matchups with a 5-3 win over Mexico, a nail-biting 4-3 overtime victory over hosts Bulgaria, and a final day 4-2 win over Turkey.
After struggling in Division B for a number of years from 2019-2022, the Under 20 squad have shown their strength in recent years, finishing 3rd in Group A in 2023, and improving to a silver placing in this year's tournament.
As we see our young McGlashan students grow up, it is fantastic to see them keep improving and leaving their mark on the world stage. Good luck Max, Jack and Ian, and particularly to Ian for his participation in Ice Blacks events later this year.
Ka mau te wehi! (Awesome! / Fantastic!)
Pictures Attached:
Main ImageNZ U20 Squad 2024 w/ medals
Jack Lewis, Max Simpson and Ian Audas w/ two NZ teammates
Jack and Max with the McGlashan tournament team 2023
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