Three goals in a man of the match performance saw ‘import’ forward Justin Noble lead from the front on Sunday evening as the Invicta Dynamos returned to winning ways by overcoming a stubborn Milton Keynes Thunder outfit 6-4 at the Silver Blades Ice Rink Gillingham.
In the opening period the hosts took less than three minutes to get going as Justin Noble followed up Callum Fowler’s effort to tally the opener with a rebound goal soon after the puck drop. The edge lasted just thirty seconds however, as Slovak Maros Stefanco slipped through the Dynamos’ rear guard and converted beyond Andy Moffat with a shot high into the roof of the net.
A spell with the extra man then saw the Dynamos retake the lead, when Andy Smith converted on the back stick following a saved wraparound attempt from Ryan Ellis, but again Milton Keynes answered as Vladimir Hubka levelled it up by bringing an end to a 3-on-1 counter up the ice.
Having equalised ahead of the second period, the Thunder then went ahead for the first time soon after when Connor Goode beat Andy Moffat at his near post however, this time the Dynamos were quick to reply, with Andy Smith benefiting from good work by Ryan Ellis with a back stick tap-in.
A clumsy check by Harrison Goode on Harrison Lillis then saw the Milton Keynes forward given a game penalty for boarding but the hosts would also lose a man with Corey Watkins left facing a game suspension having picked up a match in the brief brawling afterwards.
When play restarted the Dynamos went 4-3 up as Justin Noble deked the netminder out of place before a neat backhand finish and they had a fifth moments later as fellow Canadian Ryan Ellis fired over David Cassidy with a slapshot.
The visitors cut that lead to one ahead of the last though when Martin Snape poked in at the far post on a rebound from Connor Goode’s long drive. The final period was a largely scrappy affair and the home side tallied the only goal of the stretch close to time with Justin Noble completing his hat-trick and sealing the win with a backhand shot beyond the reach of the goalie.
So it was a 6-4 victory for the Dynamos who were made to work for the points by a resilient Milton Keynes side. Man of the match awards on the night went to Thunder junior Tom Mboya whilst hat-trick hero Justin Noble secured the spoils for the hosts.
From here the Dynamos now prepare for a double header road weekend as they resume hostilities with the Cardiff ENL Devils in Wales on Saturday before travelling to Bristol to take on the Pitbulls the following evening.
Picture by David Trevallion