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Hot displays by ice men

AN ENTERTAINING weekend saw the Gillingham-based ice hocket team Invicta Dynamos record their biggest win of the season, 14-3 against Telford, and get a decent point away at title contenders Slough.

Player coach Carl Greenhous said: "We reunited Duane Ward, Matt Beveridge and Elliott Andrews on the first line this weekend and they did the job. Now they must do it night in night out.

"Against Slough we salvaged something from nothing, instead of getting nothing from something, which has happened a lot this season.

"All in all it was a good weekend and hopefully we can now go on and break this cycle of comeback hockey where we play our best when we're down a goal or two. From here on in I want us to play all out from the drop of the first puck."

On Saturday the Mos clawed back Slough four times to draw 5-5 after making the worst starts, behind after just 16 seconds to a Matthew Foord backhander.

Jake French equalised at 9.38, but the Jets quickly hit back through Rob Coutts and it got worse for Invicta as they lost captain Phil Chard to a back injury at the end of the first period.

Mos levelled at 22.12 with help from David Heath who put the puck into his own net after Stuart Low fired it into the slot, but Slough regained the lead for the third time and increased it courtesy of Matt Sirman and Marc Long.

Going into the third period two goals and a player down did not concern the Mos who produced a gritty comeback courtesy of a Matt Beveridge hat-trick.

Telford came to the Ice Bowl on Sunday with just seven players, so sportingly four Invicta Mustangs were loaned out for the night.

The home side were without Chard (back), French who had a family commitment and Jon Gray (shoulder), but included Mustangs Garrett Bruce and Dan Fudger and had Carl Ambler in the nets.

The game was played in good spirit although Stuart Low and Michael Wales let

Aaron Christford and Matthew Drake know their place with two hard hits early on.

Low made the home side's high-scoring intentions clear with the first at 2.05 and despite a rally from the Wildfoxes made it 2-0 at 7.21 when man of the match Ward sweetly nutmegged young Telford netminder Daniel Brittle.

Low was then harshly called for slashing, but justice was done at 9.35 when Greenhous slotted home a shorthanded goal.

Ward scored his second at 12.44, a carbon copy of his first, skating free down centre ice he sold the same dummy to Brittle.

When the Mos got their first powerplay it was like a shooting gallery with acting captain Andrews finally getting the breakthrough to end the first period 5-0.

A second powerplay led to Invicta's sixth goal with the first line of Andrews and Beveridge once again combining to set up Ward's hat-trick. Beveridge was having a very creative game, credited for an outstanding nine assists.

Fudger showed real promise, illustrating his competent stick handling when he twisted and turned to set up a great scoring opportunity, and his strong skating and shooting when he let rip a thunderous slapshot just over the bar.

Andrews tipped in a shot from Beveridge at 36.04 to make it 7-0 and start a 53 seconds three-goal spell.

Telford's prominent player captain Danny MacKriel got his reward for a fine performance at 36.34 before Andrews completed his hat-trick and wrapped up the scoring for the second period at 36.57 to make it 8-1.

Wales scored number nine at 42.00 following up on Paul Hume's initial shot and a minute later the Mos reached double figures for the first time this season through Low.

Ward and Andrews both grabbed their fourth goals and in between Peter Korff got in on the scoring action as did Bruce who skated down the covering defenceman, forced him into a fumble and hit a cracking shot from a tight angle for his first goal for the Dynamos.

Telford hit two consolation goals, which gave netminder Brittle time to catch his breath. The 16-year-old was named Telford's man of the match for facing an incredible 79 shots and making several quite brilliant saves.

Greenhous said: "Carl also did well for a rookie netminder and it was important for team morale that we won in that manner.

"Credit has to go to Telford for performing with an under-strength team. We did not disrespect them, but it was vital that we put on a strong offensive display because we need the confidence boost that a puck in the back of a net gives."

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