THREE Basingstoke ice hockey players – Natalie Aldridge, Chrissy Newman and Leanne Ganney – helped Great Britain to a fast start in their World Championship Division Two campaign in Dumfries.

The host nation opened their campaign with an 8-1 victory over New Zealand, followed a 3-1 win over Korea on Tuesday night.

All three goals in the win over Korea came from Basingstoke players as Newman scored twice and Ganney netted the other.

Newman scored the opener at 5:12 as she latched onto a loose puck to score.

Just 16 seconds later, Ganney doubled the advantage from close range.

Korea pulled a goal back in the first period, before GB’s most valuable player, Newman, completed the scoring.

On Monday night against New Zealand, Newman and Ganney both scored, while Aldridge picked up an assist.

GB won the first period 3-0 as Newman scored the home side’s second goal with a back-hand finish from close range, while Katie Henry and Louise Adams also netted.

The second session saw the lead in the game extended to 5-0 as Adams scored again and then Ganney converted on a two-on-one breakaway.

New Zealand netted their only goal at 44:20, but within a minute, Saffron Allen scored GB’s sixth and then Henry completed the game scoring with a brace, Aldridge getting a helper on the first goal of her double.

After two games, the host nation are joint top with Kazakhstan and they are next in action this evening, when they face Croatia, before weekend games against Poland and Kazakhstan.

All games begin at 8pm.