Invicta Dynamos Head Coach Kevin Parrish has today moved to bolster his rear guard by countering the departures of Zach Sullivan and Tim Smith with the permanent acquisition of defenceman Peter Beerling from the ENIHL South Division 2’s Mustangs.
Blue liner Peter Beerling originally became a regular for the club during the 2003/04 season as he laced up his skates on 40 occasions, scoring 19 times from deep and playing a hand in 17 more for a total of 36 points. He would return again in 2004/05 to make another 44 appearances before a fleeting role for the team during the ENIHL Grand Slam campaign of 2005/06.
Since then the experienced defenceman has spent the majority of his time icing for the Invicta Mustangs until receiving the emergency call from Head Coach Kevin Parrish just over a week ago as player departures and long term injuries ravaged his back line.
With Zach Sullivan moving to Slough, Tim Smith signing for the Sheffield Steeldogs and Anthony Lennon suffering a broken collarbone, Beerling deputised as the team took on the ENL Jets, Romford Raiders and Chelmsford Chieftains and his experience proved invaluable back on the blue line. Now, having stepped up from the ENIHL’s second tier for the maximum amount of permitted appearances, the defenceman has committed his immediate future to the Dynamos in Division 1 by penning a contract for the remainder of the 2011/12 season.
Speaking on the permanent capture of Peter Beerling Head Coach Kevin Parrish revealed that he had been impressed with how the blue liner had made the transition and that he had no hesitation in throwing him back into the deep end in the ENIHL’s top tier.
Parrish said, “Peter stepped in for us when we seemingly had more ‘d-men’ out of action than on the ice and he did a fantastic job. He played well in his first outing against Slough, was our man of the match on the road in Romford and then scored an excellent one-timer from deep against Chelmsford on Sunday. He has fitted in with the rest of the lads seamlessly and brings a cool head and a bit of experience to the changing room which is always a bonus”.
Parrish then paid tribute to Beerling’s professionalism when he said, “Given his time away from the ENIHL’s top tier, Peter would be forgiven for needing some time to adjust but, he has come straight into the side and competed with the best the league has to offer and never looked out of place. On Sunday he had played up from the Mustangs for the third time and, in my mind, there was never any doubt that I would call on him to step up on a more permanent basis given his performances in recent games”.
Finally Head Coach Kevin Parrish suggested that, despite the capture of Peter Beerling, further player news was on the horizon when he added, “We are delighted to have Peter on the roster full time now and hopefully we will have another new face joining him on the teamsheet in the very near future. It has been a tough few weeks in Gillingham but I definitely feel we are now on the up and results will soon start going in our favour”.
Picture supplied by David Trevallion