North Ayrshire Wild broke the news recently about one of our female players who was successful in being chosen to represent Great Britain in the Women’s u18s 4 Nations Tournament in Jaca Spain from 10th -12th November 2023 where they played their counterparts from Spain, Poland and Iceland.
Emma Lamberton who has been a player with North Ayrshire since joining the Learn to Play academy as a 6 year old girl and has worked hard, perfecting her trade through the age groups to the u19s where she now plays.
Like most sports, players from other teams make friends with one another, and when one of those friends becomes a team mate at GB level, then only good things can develop.
This was the case for Emma, when she linked up in gameplay with fellow scot Ruby Newlands to assist with Ruby’s goal against Spain in the second game of the tournament.
Emma grabbed her own first GB goal in the final game against Iceland in the dying minutes of the game when she reacted first to a loose puck whilst on a five on three powerplay.
With the tournament over, Emma was presented with her game puck for her 1st goal as well as a pennant for being player of the tournament, which is a great accolade in her first outing at u18s.
Great Britain as a team finished second in the tournament, a massive achievement in preperation for the World Championships in January 2024 which is being held in the Netherlands, and one which Emma is determined to be a part of.
I caught up with Emma on her return, who was still on cloud nine, but had this to say about her time in Spain.
“The whole tournament was great. The experience is one I’ll never forget! I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls and staff to share the experience with. Seeing the team improve and gel more after each game was fantastic. Coming 2nd with the team was a huge achievement. Making my debut for the team was an amazing feeling, and to top it off with getting my first goal and GB player of the tournament is a feeling that will be with me forever”
-Emma Lamberton
I also spoke to some influential people at our club who were very kind to give me their thoughts on Emma and her work ethic.
“As Emma’s coach at u19s, it’s a proud moment to watch her play such a vital part in the GB team.
Emma shows up works hard gives her all at every training session and it’s fantastic to see her hard work and efforts being rewarded. A perfect role model for our younger members to look up to and aspire to be like”
-Gary MacColl, u19s coach
“Emma’s performances and accolades earned within the GB u18 women’s team have been fantastic. The club and coaches are very proud of everything Emma has achieved, establishing herself as a consistent, outstanding, established player within the GB system ”
-Domenico De Simone, Head Coach of North Ayrshire Wild
“The Club are incredibly proud and excited to see Emma’s progress on the National Stage. She is an elite performer for our club and has been for some time. Seeing her play in Spain was a great moment for her and her family, while watching her make big contributions in the wins fills us with pride.
We hope to be able to help her in her future endeavours with Great Britain and I hope that she continues to progress, at club and National level, and continues to be a great example and role model to the young and up-coming Wild players.”
-Stuart Wilson- North Ayrshire Wild Chairman
I look forward to breaking the news of Emma’s next venture on her Great Britain Ice Hockey journey.
Craig Crozier
NAIHC Media Officer
Registered Scottish Charity No SC052338
