It’s been a year of transformation for the Invicta Dynamos this season. Having been crowned NIHL 1 playoff champions during the 2016/17 season we went into this season on the back of a successful year.
However, with all the changes made over the summer period our Coach Kevin Parrish quite rightly warned that this season will be more of a bedding-in season whilst we adapt to a league which pretty much felt like a promotion for the Club. It was clear to see the quality, speed and skill of this league was a great improvement to what we as a club experienced in previous seasons.
Whilst established players like Elliott Dewey and Nicky Lewis left for pastures new and retirement the recruitment process saw some new faces added to the roster including new Captain Bobby Chamberlain. Unfortunately Bobby’s spell only lasted a few weeks due to personal reasons but he was part of the side that beat the Swindon Wildcats in overtime early into the season – the Dynamos being the first ‘former’ NIHL1 side to take something from a former EPL team.
With import Adam Rehak and established forward Callum Fowler also departing during the course of the season it’s fair to say that Kevin Parrish has had his work cut-out to replace a first line forward 3 that should have brought the team goals. To steady the ship former players Ashley Jackson and Steve Osman who both departed the Dynamos during the summer to Basingstoke Bison and Bracknell Bees respectively both returned to add much needed experience whilst journeyman import Jaroslav Cesky was also tasked with filling the void left by Rehak.
One of the successes the Dynamos can be proud of is blooding new and raw talent into the side this season. The likes of Brandon Webster (aged 17 at the start of the season) and George Hoang (16) have been consistent performers during the campaign. Add to that forward Louis Colvin (18), stay at home defenceman Ryan Morgan (20) are not much older and youngster Jake Stedman has recently stepped-up from the Invicta Mustangs – this season will hopefully prove to be a great stepping stone for seasons to come for these individuals and our team as a whole.
We can also be proud of our away support. We have seen great numbers travel to all games this season – including our first opportunity to play at Cardiff’s new rink. Even the challenge of playing three double away games this season, something we’re not used to doing has still seen the fans committed to back their side.
Our owners have encouraged new fans to the rink this season by still holding matchday entry prices making us one of the cheapest in the league and offering great promotions such as kids for a quid. Added to that our IDTV highlights programme continues to be one of the most popular ice hockey YouTube channels in the UK for our sport.
Although our final league position could have been better, this season has given us great experiences and a lot of lessons learnt to reflect over during the summer. We look forward to progressing during the 2018/19 season – and good luck to all of the teams playing in this weekend’s tournament.