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Invicta Dynamos are in league and cup action this weekend - and the opponents don’t come much tougher.
The Mos are at the home of the current champions Streatham Redhawks on Saturday in an NIHL South Division 1 clash before welcoming league leaders Slough Jets to Gillingham for their first Southern Cup clash of the season.
Sunday’s game in Gillingham will be dedicated to the memory of Adam Johnson, who tragically lost his life while playing in Sheffield last weekend. A minute’s silence will be held before the game and a minute’s applause on 47 minutes – honouring the Nottingham Panthers’ #47.
In response to the death of Adam Johnson, in a freak accident, the club have secured neck guards for all of their players and the club have made it a mandatory requirement to wear them in games and training, with immediate effect. It will become league policy from January 1 that all players must wear them.
The club said: “Player safety is, and always will be, a priority for us as a club.
“Adam Johnson, his family, his team mates, the entire Panthers organisation, all who witnessed the devastating scenes on Saturday and the wider hockey community remain in our thoughts.”
More: Mos in shock after ice hockey tragedy
Dynamos came out winners from last Saturday’s home game against Oxford City Stars, coming from behind in the third period to win 3-2, keeping them well placed in the league, sitting fourth with games in hand over those teams above.
Coach Karl Lennon said: “We are behind on points but with games in hand and we are obviously looking to close the gap where we can. We play Streatham away and then Sough at home, so the top two sides really from our division as things stand.
“Both play very differently in terms of their hockey so we will have to adapt from Saturday to Sunday to make sure we are ready.
“I have full faith and confidence in this group that we can get points out of this weekend, that’s what we’re looking for, not to take part but to get moving forward now, the points aren’t on the board and we need to start doing that.”
The Mos won 3-0 at Streatham in mid-October so will fancy their chances against a side who usually dominate the division. They have been beaten three times already this season in the league, losing 5-3 to the Chelmsford Chieftains last time out.
Lennon said: “You expect them to be the benchmark for the division and they are still going to be super competitive.
“We have all had bad runs of form and I don’t expect that they will be in that situation forever.”
Streatham’s captain is currently injured while losing Vanya Antonov was a summer blow for them, the player having contributed 246 points during 90 league and cup games during his time there.
The Mos head coach knows the Hawks will be keen to put last weekend’s defeat behind them and avenge their recent loss against his own side
He said: “It is how you deal with the difficult times, that is the measure of a club, and I am sure that after losing on Saturday to Chelmsford they will have the bit between the teeth, ready to go when we play them.”
Following a patchy October for fixtures, it’s now full on for the Mos, with back to back games over the next three weekends. On Sunday, Lennon’s men are back at home, with Slough Jets the visitors in the Southern Cup.
The coach said: “We had a great cup run last year and really proud of what we achieved and this year the ambition is to compete on all levels, that game will be no different.
“They are riding high at the moment, top of the division, doing really well and they are the team to beat, which I guess brings pressure on them to perform at our rink and we are looking forward to it.
“I have full faith in the team that we can get something, we just need to be in the right mindset and completely prepared.”
The Mos had a scare last Saturday against an Oxford team who had come to Gillingham to frustrate, shutting up shop an looking to hit the home side on the counter-attack.
The Dynamos led through Reagan O’Neil’s effort in the second period but conceded twice in quick succession in the third. Josh Condren levelled it up on the powerplay before Tom Soar scored what turned out to be the winner.
Reacting to that win, Lennon said: “They made it difficult for us to get out of our own zone, then to get good quality chances, at least initially. We managed to break that as the game went on and we did have chances.
“Their goalie was fantastic, he played out of his skin, but our finishing was poor, not finding corners like we normally do, when you don’t take your chances it’s that age old situation. We were 1-0 up and really had the lion’s share of the possession and the opportunities but didn’t take them and then they scored two goals in relatively quick succession.
“We were then in a dogfight, with probably 11/12 minutes left to play, I called a time-out because I could sense a mindset shift that was not good, we had to re-focus.
“We got a powerplay directly after that time-out, then scored right at the end of that, which swung momentum back in our favour.
“We had a guilt-edged opportunity at their end, which was two and 0 on their goalkeeper but we missed the net, I am thinking, ‘This is not going to be the best end to the night’ but as I am thinking that the puck then pops back out infront of the same guy who puts it in.
“We got our goal and the one we needed to get the result, which ultimately was the most important thing for us.”