Invicta Dynamos’ season ended on Sunday with a dramatic finish in the play-off semi-finals.

Leading 3-1 against Solent Devils with 1:34 minutes on the clock, the Mos conceded twice and then lost in over-time while short handed.

It was a gutting end to a positive season for the Mos after winning the Southern Cup and reaching the play-off finals weekend.

Coach Karl Lennon said: “We were devastated, the boys had worked so hard this year.

“For the bulk of the game we were the more dominant side.

“You run things back and think ‘what could I have done?’ but ultimately what happened in the last few minutes was more about individual panic and error, but that is understandable, it is a high-pressure situation.

“There was a lot riding on if for the boys, they desperately wanted to get to the final, but all structure, calmness and composure goes out of the window. It is a matter of getting over the line, they managed to get over their line quicker than we did ours and that was that.”

The Dynamos had beaten Chelmsford Chieftains over two legs in the NIHL South Division 1 play-off quarters the weekend before, booking themselves a place at finals weekend in Milton Keynes.

Sunday’s game was tied at 0-0 after the first period but then goals from Josh Condren and Louis Colvin put the Mos two infront. Solent halved the deficit before the end of the second.

There was a big 20 minutes remaining, with league champions Streatham awaiting in the final on Monday. The Mos had one foot in that final and after the frustration of having a seemingly good goal waved off by the referee - even the goal judge had given it - Juraj Huska’s effort did make it 3-1 to the Mos.

The Devils called a time-out and pulled their goalie, immediately getting a goal back.

“With a minute left we then called a time-out,” said the Mos coach. “We just had to see it out, literally we lost the face-off, the pressure was back on again and that fear and worry of what might come got the better of us, and that was that.

“They equalised with 30-40 seconds left to play.”

The match finished 3-3. Mos had it all to do in over-time when Huska picked up a five-minute penalty and team were penalised again, with a minor penalty against them. Mos did well to limit the chances on their goal but Solent found a way through, scoring the winner with 52 seconds remaining.

Lennon said: “We will look back and reflect on it in the next weeks and months, now we have the close-season to contend with but there is a lot of learning that can be taken from a game like that.

“The fact that we got there in the first place was a massive positive because we haven’t been there at all in the last few years so that is a step forward. The experience is great for the boys, especially the younger lads who haven’t been part of that before.

“We just have to keep moving forward, we have done a lot of that this year and that is what we have to keep doing, moving forward. Improvement is our game at the moment and we are by no means a finished article.”