The Invicta Dynamos had to settle for a point on Sunday as they drew 4-4 with the Wightlink Raiders.
Kevin Parrish’s side went into the game on the back of the 3-0 win at London Raiders the night before, but were without the services of brothers Bailey, Haydn and Taylor Wootton, along with Damien Welch.
Both sides took to the ice with strong looking line ups and there was a sense of anticipation that we were going to be in for a good game and the large crowd weren’t to be disappointed.
From the off it was obvious this was going to be an attritional, physical battle with neither side prepared to take a backward step.
The game was end to end for the opening nine minutes and the deadlock was finally broken in the tenth when Eriks Ozollapa buried the puck at the second attempt after some good work by Callum Fowler.
It was the Raiders that were to go into the first period in front though as Alexander Sampford levelled in the twelfth minute, with chief agitator Jeremy Cornish left unmarked to fire past Damien King in the 18th minute.
The second period started much like the first with both sides trying to assert their authority and it was a flashpoint in the 28th minute that saw the game really come to life.
Damon Larter landed some blows on Dynamos forward Callum Fowler, and that forced Arran Strawson into standing up for his team-mate, piling in to land a few punches of his own.
When the dust had settled, Larter was given a match penalty for fighting, whilst Strawson was to pick up a 2+2 for roughing a game penalty for being the third man in. With both men heading for an early shower, the fans felt they could well be in for an entertaining evening.
Once again it was the fists rather than the puck that fans were watching in the 34th minute when Robert Streetly jumped Harrison Lillis from behind. The Raiders man got the early shots off, but Lillis managed to get back to his feet and land the better punches.
With penalties dished out to both, neither side could take advantage of the extra space on the ice and it was Wightlink that went into the second break still at 2-1 up.
Whatever Kevin Parrish said to the Dynamos at that break, it clearly worked as his side came out fired up in the third period and were soon level.
It took just 42 seconds to be back on terms when Ozollapa and Fowler exhanged passes with the latter applying the finishing touch.
The Dynamos fans had barely made it back into their seats and their side were in front. Only fifty seconds more had gone on the clock when Jacob Ranson picked the puck up, raced clear and buried it to make it 3-2.
Once again the game swung back to and fro with the Raiders clawing themselves back level in the 51st minute as Craig Tribe fired home.
Three minutes later and it was 4-3 to the Dynamos as Fowler grabbed another, finishing off a great move involving Joshua Condren and Ondrej Zosiak.
Any hope of clinging on for the win were dashed just over a minute latee when Sampford was once again left with too much time and space to beat a stranded King.
Both sides went for the winner in the final five minutes with the officials more than happy to turn a blind eye to some cheap shots from the Wightlink side, but in the end neither team could get that vital goal.
A point apiece was probably the right result, but does neither side any real good with league leaders Chelmsford Chieftains going on to win 4-3 at Oxford City Stars. It does however mean the Dynamos have been beaten only once in their last thirteen games and they sit second in the NIHL South, five points behind Chelmsford.
The Dynamos are now on the road next weekend as they travel to Bracknell Hornets on Saturday night before facing Wighlink Raiders once again on Sunday evening, this time in Solent & Gosport’s rink.
To listen to our exclusive interview with Steve Osman after the game, click here:
Pictures supplied by David Trevallion.