A valiant performance yielded no points as the Invicta Dynamos lost to London Raiders in Gillingham on Sunday night.

Short on numbers, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for Kevin Parrish’s side and it proved to be just one step too far for Kent’s premier ice hockey side.

With Callum Fowler having departed the club earlier in the week, Ashley Jackson unavailable due to playing hockey for East Grinstead, Seb Downing missing and Josh Condren unable to take to the ice due to injury, the Dynamos knew they’d need lady luck on their side.

The puck was to drop and they came out of the blocks all guns blazing with Jake Stedman handed a debut for the Dynamos having stepped up from the Junior side.

End to end action yielded a penalty shot for former Mo, Juraj Huska, but Damien King showed his class to deny the Raiders forward.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 13th minute as Scott Bailey squared for Jaroslav Cesky to fire home.

At 1-0 up going into the second frame, the Dynamos knew the visitors would come back at them and that proved to be the case with former Mo, Marek Nahlik firing past King in the 24th minute.

Less than three minutes later and the home side were back in front again – Tommy Ralph crashing the puck home from the blue line.

The 30th minute saw the first real flashpoint of the game. JJ Pitchley’s rough treatment of Stedman saw Mason Webster hand out a lesson on fighting whilst on skates.

With Ralph joining Webster in the penalty box for hooking, the visitors took full advantage of the powerplay, Jake Sylvester’s strike wrong footing King in the Dynamos goal to make it 2-2 in the 33rd minute.

The Raiders were to go in front for the first time in the 35th minute, Nahlik prodding home from close range.

It was the visitors that extended their lead further in the 45th minute, another former Mo scoring – this time it was Alan Lack to get himself on the scoresheet, luckily seeing an effort hit his stick and into the Dynamos goal.

The game was wrapped up in the 54th minute as Huska showed his class to make it 5-2.

In the 58th minute the crowd were back on their feet, this time to watch the unlikely scrap between Cesky and John Connolly with the pair trading blows.

The final buzzer saw both sides applauded from the ice with fans appreciative of the effort expelled from the two rosters.

For the Dynamos, it’s back to the drawing board as they look towards next Saturday’s trip to Bracknell Bees before returning home to Gillingham on Sunday evening to face the Basingstoke Bison with face off at 5:15pm.