JUST one point from four for the top two at the weekend has blown the English National Premier League ice hockey title race wide open. A well-earned 4-4 draw on Saturday away at league leaders Isle of Wight Raiders, was as good as it got for the Medway-based Invicta Dynamos, who lost Sunday's home game 6-2 against Solihull Barons.

The weekend also went from bad to worse for Isle of Wight as a strengthened Romford side flexed their muscles and sent out a warning to rivals when they mauled the Raiders 11-1 in the cup. The Dynamos fate is still in their hands, for if they win their remaining five games they will win the title.

Duane Ward sat out his two-match suspension picked up for a misconduct charge but will be back for this weekend's double league and cup header with Swindon. The Dynamos played their best game against Isle of Wight this season with Mikko Skinnari in glittering form and deservedly named man of the match.

Both sides were up for this game with penalties being handed out left, right and centre and it was on a powerplay that Matt Beveridge opened the scoring at 6:52.

Brendon Knight levelled matters and it looked like the teams would go in to go into the break all square until Jason Coles scored for the Raiders with eight seconds remaining of the first.

Luc Chabot picked up a five minute major for tripping at 25.10 after a nasty hip check on Mike Kindred that sidelined the Mos man for 10 minutes, and a minute later Raiders received a bench minor for delay of game giving the Dynamos a five on three powerplay.

Phil Chard assisted by Matt Beveridge scored for the Mos before the Raiders retook the lead when Coles neatly set up Tony Blaize who was left alone in front of goal. The home side increased their lead to 4-2 at 43:16 with a goal from Kyle Amyotte. Shortly after Darcy Cahill fell foul of the referee, earning himself two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct and a further 10 minutes for abuse of an official allowing the Mos to score their third powerplay goal of the night through Skinnari.

With just under five minutes remaining Skinnari made it 4-4 and the mighty Mos managed to hold out for a point. After doing the hard part Invicta slipped up for the first time on home ice the following evening in a game where netminders ruled.

Solihull Barons' man of the match David Whitwell faced 58 shots and Matt Van Der Velden picked up his sixth man of the match award of the season, more than any other Mo, after facing 55 shots.

Despite high expectation from a packed Ice Bowl the Barons strolled into a 5-0 lead by the end of the second through goals from the excellent Samuli Mykkanen, Duncan Cook, Dan Pracher, Kevin Conway and Joel Pickering.

Invicta did not play badly but the puck just wasn't falling for them. Their luck was summed up when Carl Greenhous straining every muscle to get forward and get his side back in the game unleashed a fierce shot. It hit Pickering and fell inviting for the Barons forward who skated free down centre ice.

Van Der Velden made an excellent save but the puck came out and was bundled over the line by Sean Clement, very harsh on a man who had done exceptionally well to get back to be the covering defender.

That made it 5-0 and killed the game although the Dynamos fans fleetingly hoped a revival was on the cards when Skinnari scored 17 seconds in to the third. All hopes of another epic comeback were scuppered just over a minute later when Mykkanen got his second although Skinnari had the last say with his second of the evening on 56.37.

Player coach Andy Hannah said: "It hurts to have played so well and put in so much effort to come away with nothing. We missed a few early chances and didn't make the most of powerplays while they were more clinical in front of goal."