Young Southern Knights ice hockey players from Queenstown distinguished themselves away from home by coming third in a tournament in Adelaide last week.
Members of the 13-years and under squad were tired, but elated when they arrived to applause from supporters at Queenstown Airport on Sunday.
The boys, plus Aucklanders Christian and Alexander Regan (both 12), who were brought in to make up the numbers, played their first game as a team when they practised over two days in the South Australian capital.
Captained by Harrison Mills (13), the Southern Knights then played in the competitive ''peewee'' tournament over the next two days, taking on a team from Western Australia, two teams from South Australia and two teams from Victoria, and stumbling only in the semifinal.
Proud coach Nick Flight said the boys gave everything they had on the ice against a higher level of playing compared to this side of the Tasman.
The Wakatipu side skated well, but needed to improve their stick skills when the season began again and he hoped to be back as coach, he said.
The Adelaide organisers want to make the tournament the most important ice hockey tournament in Australasia and invited the Southern Knights to return next year, along with at least one other New Zealand team and teams from Malaysia and Indonesia.
