Invicta Dynamos head coach Kevin Parrish feels the forthcoming season could be one to savour after changes on and off the ice.

Structural changes at the Dynamos have seen renewed optimism about the future of the club and those changes have allowed Parrish to bring back imports Justin Noble and Peter Vaisenen.

Last season was one of the toughest for the Dynamos for all manner of reasons, but Parrish believes his side may well have turned a corner:

“I can’t really tell you if we have turned the corner on the ice as we have not startedyet, but off ice last year was one of the worst. We were promised many things last year by a guy that never came to light. But we learn by our mistakes and move on.”

“Everything this year is in place and behind the scenes there are only a couple of minor things to get sorted before the team arrives. There is more of a professional feel to it this season. Our new website is up there with the best (with a few teething issues to rectify), also every player has signed a contract so it will not be as easy to jump ship this year.”

“The issues we had last year away from the ice did affect the team, but thingsare 100% better this year, so there are no excuses now.”

For Parrish, being in a position to be able to attract talent such as Noble and Vaisenen has been an important factor:

“It is very important to get the right two imported players for the team, and this year will be a first for me since coaching the Dynamos that I have got two guys back that have played under me before.”

“Vas and I have always stayed in contact since he left three seasons ago. There is no doubt about it that he had a great season with us back then, and to be honest, Vas was one of the easiest player’s I have ever worked with.”

“He has a great work ethic, he wants to win every drill in training, and even more so during game time. The league has changed massively since Vas last played here and Vas knows that. I am sure he is going to come back to show people that he can be up
there with the best in the league.”

“Noble is returning for his second consecutive season with the Dynamos. In his first season with us, I saw many promising things come from him, again like Vas, he has a great work ethic, every shift he gives 100% and as we saw in the play-offs last season, he stepped his game up by a level.”

“He had a tough start to last season with the housing issue and I’m sure that this did affect him. Noble now knows what it is all about to play for the Dynamos, and I am sure we will see a better player this season”

Fans of ice hockey in Kent have a massive role to play in making the side successful and Parrish told KSN how he is hoping as many as possible come along to Gillingham when they start their season at home to Milton Keynes Thunder on Saturday 2nd September:

“Silver Blades should be rocking this season. It is going to be a nail-biting season for the fans this year with every game going to the final buzzer. It makes a massive difference playing at Silver Blades and also does attract players to Invicta because of the electric atmosphere.”

“It is such a difference when we play away from home in the rinks that is not their main team as they just don’t get the fan base, and at times we struggle with that. Home and away, our fans are the best in the league and I hope the fans will enjoy the upcoming season as I can see it being one of the best.”

Part of being successful is making sure a side has a complete roster with competition for places and Parrish told KSN how he was keen to keep everyone fighting for their place:

“After the final game, I normally take a couple of days off before reflecting on the season. I look at areas of the game in which we were weaker than other teams and also the areas where we looked stronger. A big part of squad selection is getting that mix right and strengthens the blend of the team as a whole.”

“Ghost rostering is massive to see the issues we had last year. Our defence came under a lot of criticism last year, some of which was justified. However, as a unit we did not play our defensive role well enough to change quickly in transition. A massive part to our game next season will be the speed. I never fill a squad just so we can have 22 players, every guy on the
team will have his role to play. If that role is executed individually, then as a team we should be better all round.”

When asked whether he had set his side any targets yet for the forthcoming season, Parrish said:

“Yes to take every shift, every period at a time and never look too much in to thefuture. Also to just concentrate on the task ahead of you on that day.”

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