Head Coach Kevin Parrish feels the Invicta Dynamos will start their play-off campaign full of confidence after a four point weekend

The Dynamos finished off the regular league season off in style with back to back wins, recording a 4-2 victory away to the Cardiff NIHL Devils before coming back to Gillingham on Sunday night where they beat Solent & Gosport 9-4.

Those two wins guaranteed them fourth spot in the league and as a result will face Cardiff once again in the two legged quarter final play-offs.

The victory at Cardiff on Saturday night was especially pleasing for Parrish having gone there short of numbers once again and with the inexperienced netminder Davey Jackson once again proving his worth:

“We needed two points from the weekend really and no disrespect to Gosport but we were almost guaranteed that against them as they don’t finish bottom of the league for no reason.”

“We also needed the two points to finish above Cardiff and get that fourth spot and we want to be talked about as being a top four side.”

“We probably underachieved a little bit this year, but I’m glad we got that fourth spot and it’s nice that we can go there first and come back here on the Sunday.”

“We’ve been there twice this year and won twice there so we can go there full of confidence after beating them this weekend.”

The side trailed 2-1 to Solent & Gosport on Sunday evening, but went on to win 9-4 and Parrish felt that might have been because of the effort they put in on Saturday and getting home at a late hour:

“We put in a lot to that game, the guys were probably tired and maybe had a couple of beers too many.”

“The intensity level needs to be higher than that, but you can’t blame the guys as only twelve iced against Cardiff and it was tough going.”

With the side going into next weekend’s play-offs in good form and full of confidence, Parrish is hoping the side can come away with some silverware this season:

“It’s all about preparation and concentration for me. We are in a little bit of a run and even though we lost the cup game to Romford, people shouldn’t doubt us as they’d be doubting the wrong team.”

“If we turn up the way we should, we could be a real force to be reckoned with.”

“We don’t care who we get if we get past Cardiff as whoever it is, we will give them a real game.”

In what has been an up and down year for the Dynamos, Parrish admits the side have been inconsistant, but what has gone before in the league is wiped from his mind as he concentrates on the play-offs:

“You can draw a line under the season as soon as the buzzer went against Gosport. We’ve got to look to the future and the future is the play-offs.”

“Everyone gets excited about the play-offs and so they should. I enjoy them and the players lift the bar going into the play-offs. The little niggling injuries are forgotten about, so there should be some exciting hockey to be played.”

With the regular season now over and the play-offs just over a week away, Parrish is already turning his attention to next season and told KSN how some players will be looking to impress in the coming weeks to earn deals:

“Harrison Lillis has been put in the deep end in the last couple of weeks and he’s played well. He’s got to learn to dispute the puck a little bit more, but that will come with time.”

“He’s carrying the puck now so that’s showing the confidence behind him and Davey Jackson has stepped in with Andy Moffat injured and he was outstanding at Cardiff.”

“If guys like this are looking to impress to come back next year, or to go to other teams, now is the time to put yourself in the shop window.”

“I can see there’s probably going to be changes made at the end of the season, but we will come to that when it happens.”

The Dynamos begin their play-off campaign away to Cardiff NIHL Devils on Saturday 6th April with the return leg at the Silver Blades Ice Bowl in Gillingham twenty four hours later with face off at 5:15pm.

Pictures supplied by David Trevallion.