Ice hockey pair help England to historic ice hockey triumph in Canada

Luke Swift and Jacob Robinson were part of the U13s national side which won the prestigious Pee Wee International in Quebec, Canada, the biggest youth ice hockey tournament of its type in the world.

It was England’s first win in the competition in more than 20 years and their first in the higher BB class.

And for Luke, from Wath Academy, and Jacob, from Winterhill School, it left them and their families with memories to last a lifetime.

“The Videotron Centre holds more than 20,000 people so the whole experience of going there and playing in front of crowds of that size every single day was amazing,” said Luke’s mum, Tracey.

"Luke lived the Canadian life in a Canadian home and they took him to the rink every day with Jacob. That was a great experience in itself."

Scores of countries took part in the event and both Jacob and Luke had to come through trials in order to win selection.

Jacob plays for Sheffield Ice Hockey Academy and Luke’s club team is Leeds Junior Knights, coached by broadcaster and ice hockey lover Seth Bennett.

"What is particularly amazing is that Luke has only been playing ice hockey for less than two years,” added Tracey.

"The first time he hit a puck was in May 2023. He has really shot through the ranks."

England beat Sorel Ste-Julie Mariniers, from the host country, 3-0 in the final.

Helping them to that clean sheet was goalkeeper Jacob.

His mum, Shannon, said: “Goalie is a bit of a harder position because only two go, so Jacob went along with a kid from Swindon.

"They played it 50-50, so it was pretty equal, and Jacob started the final, which was a really big honour.

"Unfortunately we couldn’t go to support him so we had to rely on other people sending us pictures and messages.

"It was difficult not to be able to watch him in person but we were so grateful he got to immerse himself in French Canadian culture. The parents out there really looked out for him.

"I went over there two years ago with the girls team as a sports therapist so I knew a little bit about the experience.

"We wanted Jacob to get that experience for himself because of how good it was when I went.”

She added: “He’s been playing since he was five years old and he has about six seasons under his belt.

"He has always loved being on the ice. It has just been a part of us since he was five.”

Jacob and Luke are now concentrating on developing their games, boosted by their Canadian adventure.

A spokesperson for England Ice Hockey said: “Everyone who was involved in this big tournament did themselves and their country proud.”