The Invicta Dynamos will travel to Romford on Sunday needing to overcome a two goal deficit if they want to extend their season.

A brace from Ryan Ellis and goals from Tim Smith and Adam Copland were not enough to prevent a 6-4 defeat to the Raiders despite a spirited display.

At full strength and looking to cement a lead to take into the second leg, the Dynamos were the better of the two teams in the opening frame and they eventually found a way beyond netminder Michael Gray in the fourteenth minute.

Tim Smith’s foray forward over the blue line came to a halt when he was sandwiched between two defencemen but the puck broke to Ryan Ellis wide left who swept in beyond the out of position goalie for the 1-0 edge. It was all level come the buzzer though, as Juraj Huska broke free down the right wing on a counter and lashed low across net beyond the outstretched leg of Andy Moffat for 1-1 with twenty minutes played.

In the second frame the Raiders then carried the momentum from their late equaliser and surged ahead with two goals in the space of seven minutes. A period of pressure in front of the Dynamos’ net ended when Danny Marshall’s pass from close right found Matt Turner on the far post and he converted on the backhand at point blank range for 2-1.

With Corey Watkins sitting a roughing minor, AJ Smith then established the two goal cushion by skipping in from the left channel and sweeping beyond Andy Moffat at his near post to the delight of the visiting support. The Dynamos battled back though and, when Grant Taylor found himself in the box on a 2+10 for checking from behind, Jack Tarczycki’s slapshot from deep proved too hot to handle for Michael Gray with the rebound being rifled in by an on-rushing Tim Smith from close left.

It was 3-2 going into the last then but this time the momentum was with the hosts who hit home twice to lead 4-3 by the midway point of the final period. The first came when Nicky Lewis won a faceoff in the offensive third and the puck dropped to Ryan Ellis on the outside edge of the right circle – the Canadian rifling in before Romford’s goalie had chance to adjust.

Soon after and blue liner Adam Copland then found himself in alien territory, as he was the lone man in a counter up the left wing, but the defenceman picked out the top right corner of the net with deadly accuracy to fire the Dynamos in front. However, the lead would last less than a minute when Juraj Huska again slipped free down the left channel and, though Andy Moffat denied the Slovak’s first attempt from out wide, a fortunate deflection saw the ‘import’ claim possession again before firing in beyond the grounded netminder for 4-4.

The leveller spurred the visitors on and they would go ahead just two minutes later as a prolonged spell of pressure in the final third ended with the puck breaking back to Tyrone Miller back on the blue line – the defenceman smashing home off of the far post for the 5-4 edge. Just four seconds from time, the Raiders then claimed would could prove to be a killer goal as Matt Turner’s drive was followed up by Shaun Yardley who bundled in at point blank range for a two goal cushion.

So it was a 6-4 loss on home ice for the Dynamos who were unfortunate to slip to defeat in what was a bruising encounter. On a night when referee Hewitt was letting a lot go unpunished, both teams threw their weight around in hugely physical match-up in Gillingham.

Ultimately though the Raiders drew first blood and are now favourites to reach the final but the Dynamos have the chance to overcome their deficit in Romford come Sunday evening.

Picture by David Trevallion