A lack of ice hockey over the weekend didn’t stop the Invicta Dynamos from showing their competitive edge.

A mini break from the league was well timed for a Christmas get-together as the team enjoyed a session of paintballing before focus turns to a double-header this weekend.

The Dynamos last played on November 27, enjoying an 11-4 win over Milton Keynes Thunder and they face the same opposition on their return to the ice this Saturday, away from home. On Sunday they welcome the Solent Devils to Gillingham.

Head coach Karl Lennon was glad to have a break and is hoping to welcome two players back this weekend.

He said: “It’s good for the mind to have a break. The Christmas get-together was fun, we went paintballing as a team and then had a nice meal out and managed to watch the England game.

“It was good to be in a more social capacity rather than a professional capacity with a sporting objective.

“But you can’t take the competitiveness away, that is inherent in all of them. There were a few that rated themselves, the young ones who are used to playing Call of Duty! It was my first time and I was a little concerned but I came away with no bruises and I was happy with that.”

He was also pleased to see his squad come out of the battle with no additional injuries, but his quip about being grateful for no Byker Grove injuries was lost on most of his young players! (PJ - played by Ant McPartlin - was left blinded by a shot to the face).

There is good news on the injury-front for the Mos ahead of their return, with Tom Soar and Ruskin Springer-Hughes both back in training and looking set to being involved this weekend.

Soar has been missing for a few months with a collarbone injury while Springer-Hughes had a hand injury. Both are now recovered.

Lennon said: “As long as we don’t have any hiccups in training, we should be able to add them to the roster and that would be a massive bonus for us, we will have a much deeper team.

“We have missed them, two players like that are really important, they started the season really well.”

Gregor McAllan will now be off the ice, however, and could miss the rest of the season. He was due to have surgery this week on a shoulder injury.

“It is a shame but it needs to be fixed,” said te coach. “He is only 19, it is important to get it done now so it won’t affect his career so much.”

Looking ahead to the weekend, Lennon knows his team have two tough games ahead.

Milton Keynes are bottom of NIHL South Division 1 but gave leaders Streatham a good game last weekend.

He said: “We had a good result before the break when they were short benched and they are typically stronger at home, we are playing at their place on Saturday and they had a couple of decent results at the weekend as well, losing in overtime unfortunately for them on Saturday and then on Sunday they played Streatham and were 4-2 into the third period and lost the game 7-2, for them that is not an horrendous result.

“We need to be bang on it on Saturday to make sure we get something.”

Sunday’s home game will be the last before the end of the year, against a side sitting second in the table. The Mos recently lost at their place 4-2.

“In the two weeks we have not played they have picked up more wins, and impressive ones,” said the coach. “They are very well organised, a slick team, they will come to us prepared very well.

“Our objective is four points this weekend coming, we will be disappointed if we don’t get that, that is where we are trying to set the benchmark now, we had a good win in our last game and we want to start gathering this momentum because we know that directly after Christmas we have some super important games including the cup semi-final coming up.”