Great Britain began their bid to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics by defeating China 10-1 at Cardiff's Vindico Arena.
The hosts, seeking their first appearance in the tournament since 1948, led 7-0 at the end of the second period.
Liam Kirk and Cameron Critchlow each scored twice.
Mark Richardson, Johnny Curran, Cade Neilson, Robert Dowd, Ben Davis and Nathanael Hulbert also found the back of the net, with China's Tian Yuzuo responding.
Romania defeated Serbia 4-0 in the opening Group H match in the Welsh capital earlier in the day.
Robert Dowd, 35, has been named the new English captain this season, replacing former Sheffield Steelers teammate Jonathan Phillips, who retired at the end of last season.
Kirk and Richardson were named vice-captains.
The two injuries forced head coach Pete Russell to make changes to the original 22-man roster announced last month.
Nottingham Panthers forward Ollie Betteridge was replaced by Welshman Ben Davies, while Cardiff Devils' Josh Waller was replaced by Sheffield Steelers' Cole Shudra.
This will be the second time in four years that the Olympic qualifying round will be held in the UK, with Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena hosting the event in 2020.
In other matches over the weekend, Budapest will host the Group G match between Hungary, Japan, Lithuania and Spain.
Group J matches will be played in Sosnowiec, Poland between Estonia, South Korea, Poland and Ukraine.
The group winners will advance to the final qualifying round, which begins in late August, and will compete for the remaining three spots at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
Great Britain finished fifth in its last Olympic appearance, 76 years ago in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
In Olympic history, Great Britain has won two ice hockey medals: bronze in 1924 and gold in 1936.
Last May, the GB team defeated Italy 5-3 in the final game of Division I Group A, gaining promotion to the top-level World Championship group for next season.
