The Invicta Dynamos suffered a shock 6-3 defeat on Saturday evening as a subpar team performance saw the side suffer their first home loss in eight outings against a skeleton Bristol Pitbulls squad.

The hosts looked to be on course for an easy night following the puck drop as they converted inside just 35 seconds to take the 1-0 lead. Peter Beerling’s blue line drive was given up for the rebound and Ryan Ellis was on hand to stab home beyond netminder Chris Douglas. The Pitbulls had answered by the fifth minute however, as Michael Smith found Egidijus Bauba on the inside edge of the left circle, and the Lithuanian wristed low inside the far post to restore parity.

Midway through, minor penalties to Tim Smith and Grant Baxter, then gave the visitors the two man edge and Bauba again found the target – this time with a wrist shot that flew over Andy Moffat, knocking his water bottle from the frame of the goal in the process. The lethal Lithuanian would then complete his hat-trick five minutes from the break with a venomous slapshot from close left that found the roof of the net to secure the 3-1 lead. Close to time, that edge was then 4-1 when Shannon Taylor was afforded too much time right in front on a powerplay and he dispatched a pass from behind the goal low into the far corner.

After a disastrous opening period the Dynamos only fell further behind at the start of the second when Steve Osman found a way beyond Andy Moffat from the back of the left circle whilst his side were enjoying another powerplay. Ryan Ellis’ solo skate, that ended with a near post finish beyond Chris Douglas, then suggested the hosts had the appetite for a fightback by they failed to up the tempo and trailed 5-2 as they returned to the changing rooms with forty minutes gone.

In the final period the Dynamos continued to flounder and any comeback hopes were killed seven minutes from the buzzer. During a 4-on-4, Sam Feeney followed up his own shot from the left channel to bundle in at close range and give the visitors an insurmountable 6-2 lead. Though Callum Fowler’s wrist shot from the right side then cut the deficit to three with five minutes remaining, the hosts never looked like getting back into the tie and slumped to a disappointing 6-3 home defeat.

So it was an unexpected loss for the Dynamos who looked a shadow of the side that had played so resolutely against the Chelmsford Chieftains just a week before. Bristol looked by far the hungrier of the two teams and were good value for their victory despite their lack of numbers. Man of the match awards on the night went to Pitbulls’ netminder Chris Douglas – who had a habit of thwarting the hosts on the few occasions they looked threatening – whilst Callum Fowler took the honours for the Dynamos.

From here the team had to quickly regroup from their poorest performance of the campaign in time for a difficult trip to Romford the following evening with the side having already lost out twice on the road against the Raiders this season.

Picture by David Trevallion