THE Gillingham-based Invicta Dynamos ice hockey team remain unbeaten in their run to the English National Hockey League play-off final - but only just.

They came from four goals down to draw 5-5 with Milton Keynes Thunder at Gillingham Ice Bowl on Sunday.

Player coach Phil Chard, who was player-of-the-match, said: “Milton Keynes played very well. It was their last game of the season and they brought a full squad including some players that have turned out for their senior MK Lightning side.

“We on the other hand struggled to find our motivation. It was tough to get the players up because we were already through to the final, but the way we responded in the second and third periods pleased me.”

Invicta went 4-0 down minutes into the second period when Milton Keynes scored a five-on-three powerplay goal, but the Mos fought back valiantly and were eventually disappointed to lose the game.

Goals from Kevin Lake (2), Dan Fudger, AJ Smith and Jamie Smith gave them a 5-4 lead but in the dying minutes Thunder pulled their goalkeeper, won a face-off and grabbed an equaliser.

The Mos will face either Sheffield or Blackburn in the final, probably in May but the date has yet to be arranged as the North section are further behind in their play-off games.

Invicta juniors welcome Czech side Olomouc this weekend. The second part of the exchange takes place in August when the junior Mos play five matches in Olomouc and also visit Prague and other places of interest.

The Czech Republic is a powerful ice hockey nation with players like Jaromir Jagr and Dominik Hasek making their mark in the NHL and the country winning the World Championship three times on the trot between 1999 and 2001.

Their success is down to rinks built next to schools, like in Olomouc where players train daily from the age of eight.

Bill Parkinson, juniors secretary, said: “We do not have the benefit of training every day, instead only training once a week, but our children are just as dedicated.

“And our parents have worked extremely hard to put together this exchange, organising a busy schedule with visits to London, Maidstone and Rochester.

“The aim of exchanges like these is to encourage more boys and girls to take up the sport, to get more people to come along and watch and partly to ask for sponsorship to help finance such exchanges.”

Weekend fixtures: Saturday: Olomouc v Chelmsford (4pm), Olomouc v Invicta (6.15pm). Sunday: Olomouc v Romford (4pm), Olomouc v Invicta (6.15pm).

* The Dynamos’ end of season presentation night and disco takes place at the Stanley House Banqueting Suite, Rochester, on Friday, April 30.