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Invicta Dynamos 5 – 2 MK Thunder
Period scores: 0-0, 1-2, 4-0
Penalty mins: Invicta 6
MK Thunder
12
Shots on Goal: On Invicta’s
Shane Kemp 27
On MK
Thunder’s Mark Woolf 49
Man of the match: MK Thunder: Mark
Woolf
Thunder faced the daunting task of a
road trip to title favourites Invicta Dynamos last Sunday. Dynamos have
dominated the ENL ever since they dropped down from EPL, and have strengthened
their team considerably for this season with the objective of maintaining their
superiority. The latest addition being the signing of defensive hard man Mark
Williams from EPL’s Romford Raiders. Up against them was a Thunder’s young and
energetic side that has made a good start to the season, displaying excellent
team work and commitment and showing that they are no easy side to beat. Missing
key players, Mike Knights, Dan Chaplen, and player coach Lewis Clifford, it was
a slightly below full strength Thunder side that took to the ice in Gillingham.
Whether or not Dynamos expected this to
be an easy win, their display in the opening period was laboured with players
guilty of over-working their offensive moves and trying to walk the puck in.
This would never work against the in-form Mark Woolf in Thunder’s goal, and
Woolfie proved this time and again in a superb display of netminding that earned
him a deserved man of the match. Thunder counter-attacked at every opportunity
with their quick forward lines giving Dynamos defence no time on the puck.
Indeed Thunder out-shot their hosts in a goalless opening period, a score line
that made the natives restless!
They got an even bigger shock two
minutes into the second period when Sam Fairhurst gave Thunder the lead, getting
in front of goal to tip in a Jacob Heron shot. The period then settled into the
same routine as the first, lots of Dynamos possession. Lots of skilled moves in
Thunders zone but to no effect until, at 27:01, they eventually found a way past
Thunders defence and Woolf in goal when import Peter Vaisanen scored the
equaliser. The home crowd’s celebrations were short lived however, as three
minutes later Connor Hubbuck silenced them with Thunder’s second goal assisted
by Jack Robinson and Mitch Starkey. So, Thunder led 2-1 going into the final
period and Dynamos needed something different to get back into the game. Coach
Parrish re-organised his lines in the break and new partnership brought results.
Added to this, Thunder lost defenceman David Coffey through injury so faced the
last period with just four defencemen. As Thunder tired, Dynamos eventually took
control of the game with four unanswered goals in the period, but Thunder never
gave up and were always looking to break out and get some pressure on the home
defence.
So the record books will show a 5-2 win
for Invicta Dynamos, but that doesn’t anywhere near reflect the game itself.
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