Netminder Andy Moffat admits it was emotional calling time on his ice hockey career after seeing the Invicta Dynamos beat Peterborough Islanders 8-1 on Sunday night.

The 30 year old father of two has decided to retire from playing to spend more time with his family after trying to juggle work commitments and playing for the Dynamos for the past two years.

Moffat got a superb reception from the Dynamos fans at the end of Sunday’s game that saw the side make it six wins in a row as they comfortably eased past the Islanders in the NIHL Southern Cup fixture at the Silver Blades Ice Bowl in Gillingham.

Having played his final game in a Dynamos shirt, Moffat spoke exclusively to KSN, telling us how he will miss playing for the side:

“It’s always going to be emotional when you stop playing. It’s been great here and I’ve had a great few years. The lads are great here and I’ll miss the hockey, but I’ll still some down every now and then for the odd game and come into the room to see everybody and I won’t be a stranger.”

“I felt it was time as I wasn’t getting a lot of time with the family. I’ve had a good career out of hockey and I started playing when I was four and a half, so I have been playing for twenty five years now and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, but I have priorities with two young kids at home and working full-time, my weekends were taken up with hockey.”

“I thought it was time I spent some time at home to see the kids grow up.”

Playing ice hockey can be a gruelling physical sport at the best of times and fans don’t often see the amount of hours the players put in on and off the ice to prepare for fixtures.

The Dynamos squad will typically train twice a week on a Tuesday and Thursday evenings, often being on the ice until gobe midnight and Moffat told KSN how that all takes its’ toll when holding down a full-time job:

“It’s tough as you get in from work, put my little girl to bed, go down, feed my little boy, have dinner, have a shower and then it is time to come to the ice rink.”

“I was training up until about half eleven to quarter to twelve. You get home and your still wide awake until 1:30am – 2:00am and you’re up for work at 4:45am for work the next morning.”

“It’s tough doing that and it’s unfortunate that I have to give something up, but the time has come and in the end it wasn’t ever going to be my family.”

Going out on the high of seeing the side through to an 8-1 victory will live long in Moffat’s memory and he received a standing ovation from the crowd packed into the Silver Blades Ice Bowl.

After such sterling service for the sport, Moffat told KSN how he was thrilled to have been given such a send off by the fans from Kent:

“Here at the Dynamos, when I have both played for them and against them, all you ever heard was the crowd. I knew a few of the boys here before I signed and they said how the fans get behind you so much.”

“They make you so welcome here and it was a great send off.”

Despite hanging up his gloves, Moffat believes the side can go on and win both the league and cup this season:

“It was a tough start, but everyone is playing together now and hopefully we can carry that form on. The boys have got a tough game against Chelmsford next weekend.”

“Hopefully, they can get a win and keep going the way it has been going.”

When asked whether he could be tempted out of retirement by Head Coach Kevin Parrish should the need arise, Moffat admitted the door isn’t completely closed on playing for the Dynamos in the future:

“I have said to Kev that if it gets to the stage that he’s struggling and he hasn’t got a goalie or he has injuries, then I will come out of retirement and I will cover.”

“I’ll always try and help him out for a weekend here and there.”

With the Dynamos now down to just the one netminder in David Wride, Parrish told KSN he hopes to have another goalie on board by Tuesday at the latest.

Pictures supplied by David Trevallion