Goals from Justin Noble, Peter Vaisanen, Andy Smith and Callum Fowler were not enough for the Invicta Dynamos despite a spirited third period comeback on Sunday evening as the team slipped to a 5-4 home defeat at the hands of the Wightlink Raiders.
With returning netminder Andy Moffat crocked the night before, the Dynamos called upon Mustangs shot stopper David Jackson to stand between the uprights and the diminutive goalie was the busier of the two ‘keepers in the opening frame.
Having used his mask to deny Craig Tribe and dived on the puck to thwart Corey Watkins at his near post to keep it level pegging early on, Jackson would eventually be beaten eight minutes in as the Raiders broke the deadlock to secure the lead. Robbie Brown sneaked through the host’s back line and, though his initial effort from between the circles was blocked, Alex Murray was well placed to convert the rebound from close left to make it 1-0.
That advantage was then doubled, just moments later, when Jeremy Cornish found Craig Tribe just right of the target – the forward drilling beyond Jackson for 2-0 with only nine minutes gone. It was to be a miserable opening frame for the Dynamos who looked jaded from their exploits on the road the night before and only had cause for celebration when Jack Tarczycki got the better of Raiders player/coach Cornish in a check in front of the visitors’ bench.
However, no sooner had the Canadian risen to his feet than his side were celebrating their third as Jamie Smith found Craig Tribe on the edge of the crease – the Wightlink alternate captain slipping the puck between the legs of David Jackson for the 3-0 edge.
After a below par performance in the opening period, the Dynamos returned to the ice early for the second and initially made the better start. Justin Noble was twice denied by goalie Matt Colclough before Callum Fowler saw his rebound attempt after a 2-on-1 breakaway frozen by the shot stopper.
It was only when Jeremy Cornish went to the box for charging that the hosts then finally cut into the deficit – Tim Smith’s mishit slapshot from the blue line breaking the defenceman’s stick but still sending the puck through a sea of bodies where a waiting Peter Vaisanen redirected beyond the netminder.
In the remaining thirteen minutes both sides then struggled to create genuine scoring opportunities – Andy Smith being denied from close left by the shoulder of Matt Colclough whilst David Jackson resorted to lying on the puck late on to stop Nathan Taylor’s goal bound effort. With nothing doing, the two teams would return to the changing rooms with the Raiders still leading 3-1.
In the last frame the Dynamos still had it all to do but an early strike from the visitors looked to have ended their comeback ambitions. Four minutes after the restart, Nathan Taylor netted a fine solo effort as he entered the final third down the middle, skipped outside one and inside another before stick handling left to ground the netminder and flicking inside the upright to make it 4-1.
The hosts would then answer swiftly – Justin Noble drilling a shot off of the underside of the bar and over the line from the right wing to cut the deficit to two – but Wightlink would re-establish their cushion when James Smith’s centring pass found Jeremy Cornish in the middle just in front of the blue line – the player/coach smashing an unstoppable slapshot over the glove of David Jackson and into the top right corner for the 5-2 edge.
With just over half the period remaining, the game looked to be over but the Dynamos would find their best form of the tie in the closing ten minutes to push their visitors to the buzzer. They managed to cut their deficit to two, with seven minutes remaining, when Harrison Lillis’ drive from the right circle deflected off of the skate of a defenceman and allowed Callum Fowler to convert beyond a wrong footed Matt Colclough from close left to make it 5-3.
They would then have the wind in their sails soon after, when Peter Vaisanen centred the puck from the left boards – the Canadian’s pass finding the on-rushing Andy Smith at the near post and the captain poking just inside the upright for 5-4. By now, in a display full of intensity that was unrecognisable from the previous two periods, the hosts were flying and the Raiders were content to clear their zone – icing the puck three times in quick succession as the pressure continued to mount.
A late Jiri Hanzal minor, coupled with the Dynamos pulling netminder David Jackson, then saw the tie finish 6-on-4, but the draw escaped the home side by a whisker – Andy Smith in on the goalie late on but steering a pass just wide of the right stick in the closing seconds to leave the scoreboard showing 5-4.
So it was a defeat for the Dynamos who had simply left themselves far too much to do after a poor opening frame and a solid but unspectacular second. The fightback in the last was spirited and almost enough to claim a point but the visiting Raiders held out for the win that keeps their title hopes on life support.
Man of the match awards went to James Smith of the away side whilst Harrison Lillis took the honours for the Dynamos having filled in for the injured Arran Strawson in defence and looked well worth his extra ice time.
Picture supplied by David Trevallion