The Invicta Dynamos are through to the ENIHL South Playoff Semi-finals after a Harrison Lillis hat-trick helped them thump the Cardiff ENL Devils 17-9 in Gillingham on Sunday evening to record an aggregate win of 24-13 against their rivals from the Welsh capital.
Carrying a 7-4 lead from the night before, the Dynamos returned home optimistic of their chances of progressing to the next round of the playoffs against a Cardiff side that had not won in Gillingham since late 2008. With Andy Moffat still sidelined through illness, James Tanner stepped up to fill the void between the posts whilst Mike Brabon again started in net for the ENL Devils.
Just as they had done the night before, the Dynamos began the game the stronger of the two sides and they netted in the fifth minute to lead 1-0. Daniel Fudger found Callum Best between the faceoff circles and he beat Cardiff’s netminder high on the stick side to nab the breakthrough. Just moments later and it was 2-0 – this time a loose pass from the Devils’ rear guard found Andy Smith just left of the target and he lashed high over Mike Brabon for the two goal edge.
The deficit fired the visitors into action and they managed a reply just over a minute later. A swift interchange of passes between Louis Lockwood and Jordan Powell ended with Jamie Hayes being found close right and he tucked in beyond a scrambling James Tanner for 2-1. The two goal cushion would be restored by the close of the period though as, with just a minute and a half to play, Ryan Ellis picked out Nicky Lewis on the edge of the crease and he lashed inside the right upright to make it 3-1 with twenty minutes played – 10-5 on aggregate.
After a typical opening frame of hockey that witnessed four goals, the second was madness in comparison as the teams traded 13 efforts in a frantic spell. The rush started five minutes in when Ryan Ellis dispatched a wrist shot high into the far corner from the right boards to take the home side’s lead to 4-1 – a strike that prompted Mike Brabon to withdraw from the net and be replaced by Luke Takel.
Having so far watched the encounter from the safety of the Cardiff bench, Takel would then wish he was back on the sidelines as he went on to concede nine times in just 15 minutes. The first of these came when Ryan Giles lashed the puck across the crease leaving Harrison Lillis a simple back post finish to make it 5-1. The second then came just seconds later when the goalie fumbled Daniel Fudger’s slapshot from wide left allowing Lillis another tap-in from the edge of the crease.
At this point the Devils responded courtesy of a close range one-timer by Jordan Powell, before their third of the evening was also bundled in – Louis Lockwood beating James Tanner from right in front. Any hopes of a comeback were soon dashed however, as the hosts tallied a trio of goals without reply to make it 9-3 on the night.
Midway through the frame, Ryan Ellis teed up Nicky Lewis on the inside edge of the left circle and he rifled over the reach of Luke Takel for his second of the evening. Soon after, from behind the net, Callum Best set-up Justin Noble for a tap in at the near post for 8-3 before the Canadian then performed the same assist himself – Callum Fowler taking the Dynamos to just one shy of double figures.
The gaping deficit between the teams prompted the Devils to call a timeout and they answered straight after the restart – Chris Jones firing in following a faceoff win in the final third. They continued to leak goals though, and they conceded another four before the break to trail 13-4 come the buzzer. Justin Noble’s long diagonal from deep right was tucked in on the left stick by an on-rushing Callum Fowler for 10-4 before Harrison Lillis completed his hat-trick with a fine finish from the inside edge of the left circle for his side’s eleventh.
Tempers then flared when Anthony Lennon and Stephen Deacon had an impromptu scrap behind the play against the left boards – Lennon proving too tough for his Welsh opponent and landing the majority of the blows. When play restarted the scoring continued and the Dynamos tallied on the powerplay courtesy of a close Tim Smith finish before Justin Noble tucked in a one-timer on the left post to make it 13-4 – the Dynamos ahead 20-8 on aggregate.
After a frantic second period, the third merely followed suit as the two sides shared a further nine goals. Callum Fowler’s great solo skate through the centre was the pick of the evening as he skipped around one, inside another and then flicked high over Luke Takel from close left to make it 14-4. Ryan Ellis’ backhand pass across the crease then allowed Andy Smith to add a fifteenth before the second line combination of Fowler and Callum Best performed a carbon copy of the strike – Fowler claiming his fourth of the night.
Cardiff would finally alter their side of the scoreboard eight minutes from time, when Stephen Deacon beat James Tanner with a one-timer from the edge of the crease, but a shorthanded reply followed from the hosts as Ryan Ellis drove in from the inside edge of the right circle. Now 17-5 up, 24-9 ahead on aggregate, the Dynamos then dropped back down through the gears in the final stages – a move that allowed the Devils to notch four times before the close of the game.
Louis Lockwood took his tally to two as he rifled in from the right side, before an excellent pinpoint wrist shot by Chris Jones found the bottom far corner from the left boards. Jamie Hayes then cut the deficit to 17-8 with a one-timer inside the right upright from between the faceoff circles before Stephen Deacon brought a close to the evening with a wrister that flew beyond James Tanner from close range whilst the visitors were on a powerplay.
So it was an emphatic 17-9 victory for the Dynamos – 24-13 on aggregate – and one that booked a double date with Romford in the ENIHL South Playoff Semi-final. Defences were far from on top on the night as the final score resembled a rugby result, but the home side played some fine offensive hockey that suggests they are capable of causing an upset and progressing to the final of the competition. Man of the match awards of the evening went to Louis Lockwood of the beleaguered Devils whilst hotshot Harrison Lillis took the honours for the Dynamos after his first senior hat-trick for the side.
Picture by David Trevallion