The Wolverines were one of four teams from the remote South Atlantic archipelago to travel to the Chilean city along with the Knights, Bombers and Dragons.

With no ice on the Falkland Islands, most of the players had never played ice hockey until a few days before the competition.  

A total of 28 youngsters aged nine to 13 made the journey, representing roughly one per cent of the Falkland Islands' 2,900 population.

With another 20 or so unable to travel or due to start playing the sport next season, there is a group of close to 50 youth players ready to help grow the game.

"When we brought the trophy back last year that really got people excited," said former Nottingham Panthers player Grant Budd, the current national coach and founding member of the Falkland Islands Hockey Association.

"We came home with an ethos, a plan to develop youth hockey here and right now we have 35 players involved with another 15 pending.

"We’re playing inline hockey, dek hockey - where we use sticks and pucks but not skates - and we’re trying to implement the kind of programme that I went through with Les Strongman and Alex Dampier in Nottingham when I was a lad.

"If we can keep that progress going over the next three or five years, well, watch this space."

This year marked the first time in the four-year history of the annual Copa Invernada that the event expanded to include youths.

The six-team tournament also featured local sides Kotaix and Escuela Bulnes.