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Invicta Dynamos have their captain back for what’s set to be a crucial weekend of Southern Cup action.
The Mos head to Chelmsford Chieftains on Saturday for the first of their Southern Cup fixtures before hosting Streatham Redhawks on Sunday.
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Captain Harrison Lillis picked up a four-game ban for fighting during Invicta’s last match against Streatham in the Southern Cup, which got abandoned. Lillis suffered a hand fracture in that game and was hit with a further two-game punishment for surpassing the 10-point penalty threshold.
Lillis hasn’t been icing for the Mos but he hasn’t been far away, either.
Head coach Karl Lennon said: “He has travelled the country with us these last few weeks, even when injured and suspended, there every step of the way cheering them on.
“In fact, at times on Sunday when it was quite quiet in the Oxford arena, you could hear him on the other side of the ice, which was quite humorous. There were a couple of moments in play when it went deadly silent and all you could hear was Harry shouting across the ice at his team-mates.
“He is a devout Dynamo through and through, he loves this club more than most and he shows that in every performance that he puts in. I think a great example of that is how he stood up for his team in Streatham the last time he played against them.”
The Dynamos won last Sunday’s Southern Cup game against Oxford City Stars 6-4 after beating them on the Saturday 5-0 in the league.
It’s all about the Southern Cup now and Lennon knows Mos need positive results.
He said: “We have had a pretty decent start in the competition, with three wins in the four games and the one loss, which was the awarded fixture to Streatham after the abandonment, which in all honesty I don’t hold us accountable for.”
Streatham were handed a 5-0 win over the Mos after Lennon’s team declined to play on over safety fears following a rough first period and a fight on the ice.
That result leaves them with it all to do to overhaul group leaders Redhawks.
Lennon said: “This weekend coming could be a defining part of whether or not we can have a successful secondary cup situation. Streatham are three games in with three wins and we need to get wins on the board against Chelmsford and Streatham this weekend.
“Of course they are two very strong sides and both are above us in the league at the moment so across the course of the season playing better but I have great faith in what we have and what we can do and we will go into this weekend with a couple of bodies back.”
Gregor McAllan hasn’t played since picking up an injury in that controversial mid-January game at Streatham but is set to return this weekend.
“We are adding two more bodies to the roster which is great,” said Lennon.
“We have had a tough spell of managing that but I guess that is the measure of a team and now we have come through the other side we have to make the most of these extra men.”