The Invicta Dynamos maintained their push to the top of the league with a comfortable 7-3 win over Cardiff NIHL Devils on Saturday night.

Kevin Parrish’s side went into the game with new signing Frankie Harvey icing on the top line, whilst import Joonas Liimatainen was still back in his native Finland whilst he waited for international clearance.

With both Charlie Phillips and Grant Baxter unavailable through injury, the Dynamos once again turned to Mustangs Danny Terry and Bradley Gutridge to make up the numbers.

It was a frantic if not disjointed display from both sides in the opening period and fans were treated to some intense ice hockey with the game going end to end, albeit slightly confusing as the Dynamos elected to wear their blue away strip and kept their white kit back for the game on Sunday evening.

The seventh minute saw the opening of the scoring with Harvey carving his way down the ice and his shot dropped on the line for Andy Smith to poke home.

That’s the way the scoreline stayed until the 18th minute with both teams picking up penalties for a scrap that both Billy Phillips and Anthony Leone spent time in the box for.

Cardiff drew level against the run of play with Ben Brown forcing the puck past the disappointed Chris Douglas who showed his disgust by throwing his stick behind the goal.

With it level going into the second period, the Dynamos knew they were in for a battle and retook the lead just 45 seconds in with Leone able to tuck the puck home from close range after good work by Juraj Huska and Steve Osman.

Four minutes later Callum Fowler and Harvey combined well to set up Smith to make it 3-1 as the Dynamos pulled clear.

However, the visitors weren’t to lie down though and came roaring back into the game with Brown given a penalty shot in the 28th minute and they were level again four minutes later when Brown set up Joe Morris to score.

At 3-3 the game was finely poised, so the Dynamos were to up another gear and Fowler clawed them back in front with little under two minutes left on the clock.

With Parrish’s words ringing in their ears at the end of the second period, the home side came out of the traps flying in the third with Fowler grabbing another 84 seconds in to make it 5-3.

Less than a minute later and it was 6-3 when Leone added hie second of the night to pull his side clear and the Dynamos captain capped a fine individual performance and with it the man of the match award when he claimed his hat-trick in the 53rd minute.

The Dynamos saw out the remaining minutes without further alarm and hung on for two vital points that could be crucial come the end of the season.

Those points see the Dynamos stay sixth in the league, five points behind joint leaders Chelmsford Chieftains and Streatham Redskins and on Sunday evening they head to Swindon to take on the Wildcats in the English Challenge Cup.

Pictures supplied by David Trevallion.

To listen to interviews with Kevin Parrish and Frankie Harvey from after the game, click here: