Invicta begin fight back

GILLINGHAM, UK – Invicta Dynamos are not a club used to losing games or players, but this season has been different and the Kent side are now attempting to fight back. Influential defenseman Ryan Giles talks about departures, arrivals and the wind of change at the Ice Bowl.
 
Never before has Invicta Coach Kevin Parrish faced the early season challenges that have arrived at his door this term.
 
After a summer of recruitment contrasts that saw the high’s of tempting title winning Wightlink duo Robbie Brown and Richard Bentham mixed with yet another goalie saga of stoppers signing and then not, Parrish then saw two of his prominent defenseman   Tim Smith and Zach Sullivan leave for Sheffield and Slough respectively just days into the season starting.

 
In a matter of weeks, Bentham upped sticks for Peterborough and was then followed this week by Brown who headed north after a couple of months of speculation. The frustration amongst the Dynamos fans was palpable, but eased last week by the arrivals of Callum Best from Slough and Ali Band from Bristol.
 
“It’s a vicious cycle” admitted Dynamos blue liner Ryan Giles, when asked about the player movement across the league.
 
“If a coach is looking at his roster and has had guys leave and get injured; he has to replace them. It’s a dog eat dog world and coaches/owners won’t think twice about leaving another team in the situation they are desperately trying to dig themselves out of”
 
“At the end of the day, everyone looks out for number one. Unfortunately there isn’t an abundance of quality British players sitting at home who are available and waiting for a call – but if anyone knows of any, could someone please ask them to give Parrish a call?”
 
The roster changes would have had less impact on the Dynamos had it not been for the depressing injury list that include reliable defenseman Anthony Lennon and primary forwards Michael Timms and Nicky Lewis all out with major complaints.
 
“It has been hard, there’s no doubt about it” conceded Giles.
 
“We’ve had so many guys leave and come in that there’s been no continuity. We’re lucky to have a good core of local guys nowadays, when times are tough you have to pull together and dig deep”
 
“The atmosphere in the room has picked up recently and we’ve grown strong as a team in the last two or three weeks. They say it doesn’t rain but it pours – we’ve lost Downtown (Robbie Brown) this week so it’s yet another loss we will have to cope with. But one player doesn’t make a team and we’ll keep coming back fighting, once again”
 
“Best, Pete Beerling and Bandy have been great additions by Parrish. They have all seamlessly fitted into the dressing room and added to the positive atmosphere of a team definitely on the up”
 
“If guys don’t want to play for us then it’s better for them and us that they go. Everyone in the room is now on the same page. Not to be a slur at guys who have gone, we have lost some talent guys but we’ve gained passion and heart as a team”
 
“I’m sure Parrish is on the search no doubt but we don’t need many pieces now to complete the puzzle. There is no unrest in the camp, there are no underlying problems – we have just been unbelievably unlucky with signings changing their mind, injuries and guys having carrots dangled at them by EPL teams and leaving”
 
 
That fight within the team was in evidence last weekend as the Dynamos upset league leaders Chelmsford Chieftains to give the team and fans a much needed confidence boost. Whilst the game against the Essex side was a cup match and will not help the Mo’s climb up the league ladder, it was an important win for Giles and his team mates, proving that although Invicta are no longer the dead certs for league glory as they have been in the past, they can match any team in the league.
 
“The league is very different nowadays to when it started and it will, no doubt, be very different in the future too” explained Giles, when asked about what it was like to no longer be default title favourites every season.
 
“But the ENL is a sustainable league for organizations in it, at the moment, providing a good standard of hockey. Five years ago I don’t suspect many people would have put money on seeing the likes of Marsh, Gary Clarke, Newman and Cornish playing in the ‘English Nightclub League’”
 
“Neither would they have expected to see players like Smithy (Andy Smith) and Danny Hammond be regulars putting points up. Not many people would have predicted to see some of the best young players in the UK learning their game and developing in the ENL1 either. I personally like the ‘mix’ of players the league has”
 
“The ENL is now a competitive league. The top four teams can all beat each other on their day. There are another few teams who will always be the underdog playing against them but will definitely take points off them throughout the season”
 
“A few years back, I remember winning games by 10-15 goals on a regular basis in the ‘old ENL’. Every hockey player will tell you they would prefer a 3-2 game than a 10-1 blow out win any day of the week. It’s great we aren’t automatic favourites now and I wouldn’t change it if I could. If you play sport – you have to be competitive and hungry to succeed”
 
The ‘mix’ of players includes the imports that most teams have on their roster. With most teams opting to sign European players, and more often than not Slovakians, Invicta have once again picked up a couple of Canadians to buck the trend. Ryan Ellis and Justin Noble are finally settling in to life with the Dynamos and have put up decent numbers with Noble hitting ten goals in as many games and Ellis acting more as a playmaker with fourteen assists in the same amount of fixtures.
 
The Canadian duo replaced their fellow countrymen Chris and Daniel Borges, as the Invicta overseas contingent and Giles admits that they have been welcomed in a traditional fashion.
 
“The exports are quite different to the Borges brothers” admitted Giles in reference to Ellis and Noble.
 
“They are completely different players compared to last years; you can’t compare them in that respect. They are putting up good numbers and contributing well to the team”
 
“Like last years, they are decent guys. Last week I had Elly fully believing the ferry to the Isle of Wight would have a casino, sauna, swimming pool and even a crazy golf. He was pretty excited”
 
Quite what Ellis’s face looked like when confronted with a mundane ferry and a large selection of Ginsters products for sale is unreported, however both he and Noble must have been impressed by the form of team mate and all time Invicta top points scorer Andy Smith.
 
The mercurial Smith hit his 700th career point last weekend to the delight of the Invicta fans and his team mates with yet another top performance. A local boy made good, Smith is still a major force in the ENL despite the standard rising year upon year.
 
“Smithy is an unbelievable natural talent” explained Giles of his team mate.
 
“He is consistent and reliable on the ice and can change a game. His stats show how good he is, but he has other aspects of his game that stand out too – for example, he’s easily the best PK player in the league in my opinion”
 
“I would love to see him play in the EPL on a line with two quality imports, he could be seriously dangerous. I’m just glad his life (family, friends, work etc) are so local and I am sure Parrish is as well”
 
“He deserves the Captaincy and leads by example on the ice. I don’t think there will be many people to have played with Smithy and not learnt from him. Smithy is a huge Manchester City fan and captains the team in a similar way that his idol Vincent Kompany does for City in the Premiership”
 
With the afore mentioned injury list another head ache, Giles himself is only too aware of how this affects the team and the people involved. After making an unexpected comeback last season following a serious car crash, Giles only lasted a few months before announcing he was retiring at the tender age of 20. This period out of the game gave the young blue liner time to think about the game and means that he has every sympathy with those currently on the sidelines at Invicta.
 
“I stopped last year when I realized, after a game away at Romford, I wasn’t contributing to the team like I used to before my accident – I was a liability” admitted Giles.
 
“I was playing with the titanium bar in my leg and didn’t have full movement. I had it all taken out in May this year and I feel good to go now. I’m not back to full strength, I’m most the way there now though, but I have full movement again too”
 
“I wasn’t due to come back when I did, but had to when we were so short on players for the various reasons. It’s great to be back playing, I play on a team with a decent bunch of local guys who I have known and played on teams with for years now – I’m just happy to be able to play again”
 
“I hated watching hockey. It’ll take a bit more time to be back to my old self but I am getting there gradually. At the moment I am playing a bit of defense and a bit of forward as we have been so short on guys. I can confirm to all defense men out there, you have to skate a lot more as a forward”
 
“We have been so unlucky with injuries early in this season. Ant is a hard hitting defender with a great pass. Nicky is one of the best Brits in the league when he is on form, as he has demonstrated this year before getting injured”
 
“Timmsy is another key forward, who links up well with Smithy that we miss on and off the ice. Hopefully these guys will be back sooner rather than later, Ant is out of his sling and Nicky should be soon”
 
“Timmsy though, is still sporting the shortest crutches available on the NHS and is not well enough to kick himself in the head like wee man, just yet”
 
“Even the likes of Jack Tarczycki have been playing through the pain barrier to keep the team going. He may have substituted the gym for Nandos a lot more recently but he is still giving his all on the ice”
 
Aside from morale within the team, the Dynamos fans have had to face reality as well. After years of domination and success, the Invicta faithful had to settle for watching their team finish in 4th place in the league last season, a position not imagined at this level.
 
Losses on the road at Chelmsford, Cardiff, Romford and Wightlink were not wholly unsurprising, and the Dynamos have been beaten in those venues before. It has been the two home losses to Chelmsford and in particular Romford that have seen the Dynamos in the unfamiliar position of losing in front of a large home crowd.
 
“We have the best fans in the league, by far – it goes without saying” explained Giles.
 
“It’s a culture shock for them; a few years ago we used to win the league with weeks left to play and blow mid table teams out by 10 goals. Nowadays we do lose games (at home as well as on the road) – they aren’t used to that”
 
“I think the fans that know their stuff have enjoyed the competitiveness the last couple of years. It’s not been a great start to the season but we are still up there or thereabouts”
 
“We will keep working hard and will gel and improve as a team, I hope they appreciate that. As always the fans keep singing and it’s still the best home ice to play on in our league. I know guys on other teams love to play us in Gillingham because of the atmosphere”
 
“People outside the squad don’t realize how much the club has done to ensure we have a competitive team on the ice. Fans don’t always know what is going on behind the scenes, how many guys are playing through injuries or driving to a game straight from a day at work”
 
“It’s easy to criticize after a loss or a slightly under par performance but it has been a crazy, disruptive year – to say the least. We need absolutely everyone associated with the team to continue to be behind us, positivity is key when the chips are down. It has been great how the fans have reacted, crowds don’t seem to be dwindling and they seem as loud as ever. The support really does make a difference”
 
“The Only Way is Essex has been a success on the TV recently, but can assure you if they gave the cameras to the Dynamos, ‘The only way is Invicta’ would be far more entertaining”
 
Invicta host Romford Raiders this weekend in a crunch clash that should be a cracking game. The Only Way is Essex TV show aired its last episode this week but regardless of the result against their nearest and dearest rivals, it is unlikely we will have seen the back of the Dynamos title challenge just yet.
 
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com