That had a bit of everything didn’t it. Yet another of those Huskies/Mustangs games that you just cannot predict. We’ve seen so many over the years and all you know is that anything can and will happen. Trying to second-guess it is a fool’s game.

It’s been an up and down year for many reasons. On Saturday there were some lovely reminders of why we all continue to do this and what we get out of it, which goes way above and beyond hockey.

It’s no secret that there’s a great affinity between pockets of the Huskies’ and Mustangs’ fans. They’re certainly the two games I look forward to most over the season. As someone said to me rink side, “Good friends, beer, and hockey. What more could you want?” I find it hard to disagree.

Speak to any of the Invicta fans and they’ll tell you what a hot and cold year their team is having. Wins against Haringey, MK, and Cardiff have gone hand-in-hand with losses to Lee Valley, Solent, and Chelmsford. Their Wilkinson Cup run was ended in the semis by a dominant Guildford, and they never got started in the Eddie Joseph Memorial Cup.

They’re now confirmed as qualified for the playoffs but will be eager to finish sixth or higher so as to avoid playing either Peterborough or Guildford in the first round, which is certainly not beyond them.

They opt for their young netminder Heath Prentice over the experience of Kieran Wyatt. Possibly with an eye on Sunday and their game against Guildford Phoenix. A tough back-to-back weekend for them.

Oli Cooper has the first shot in anger for Haringey, kicked out from the blue line. Dylan Philips makes an important save early on, blocking the one-timer from the left then smothering the puck nearside as the forward jams away.

It’s a tentative first few minutes but quickly picks up.

Haringey put a lot on net early on. Courtney Grant, Conner Smith, and Ruskin Springer Hughes all have efforts saved. Carl Etuazim shows great strength along the boards to keep the puck, and Dylan’s forced into another big save from the hashmarks.

Ruskin drives to the net, sees his shot from the left saved but has the presence of mind to put it back across the slot to find Robbie Rejna who is denied by the netminder from the crease. Invicta race off up the other end, carry the puck to the goal and it’s a backhanded finish that maybe goes 5-hole. Unbelievable. 0-1 down after seven minutes.

Johan Persson is a very good skater. He’s all twists and turns under pressure and emerges still with the puck. Stuart Appleby and Marton Szasz combine in the offensive zone but are unable to craft a shooting chance. Ruskin with hands around one then denied by the netminder. Ten gone.

Courtney puts the burners on and creates something from nothing after a misjudgement in the Invicta defensive zone, but his shot’s saved. There’s a frantic quality to the game with end-to-end plays as both sides push the agenda.

Haringey find a way through and it’s Moose who steps onto it and with a one-timer that nestles into the bottom left across goal.

With two minutes left in the period, the Mustangs reclaim the lead. It’s an inconspicuous one, either a brilliant tip or it takes a nick off someone but it catches Haringey off guard.

A really good game so far. You’d expect nothing less with these two teams.

Back for the second, and Haringey throw more shots on net. There’s a pause in proceedings as the puck gets stuck in Heath Prentice’s pads.

With seven gone on the clock, it’s a brilliant goal to level things up. Carl jumps off the bench, can only have been on the ice for two seconds, collects the puck, heads to the net and shoots across goal. What an impact.

A minute later and Invicta restore their lead. Looked like a wraparound from where I was stood, but Mustangs’ defenceman Sam Oliver completes his at trick and brings it back to a one-goal game.

It goes from bad to worse as 2-3 becomes 2-4. It’s an odd-man rush, the puck comes from the left across the slot and it’s a tap in at the backdoor for Invicta forward James Laming. Huskies rocked. From parity to two-down in less than three minutes.

But for some heroic goal tending, it could have been even more disastrous. Invicta have the goal at their mercy from the crease and yet Dylan somehow keeps the puck out and makes the save. A tremendous game from him I thought.

Haringey get a break on the power play. It’s straight from the faceoff, Johan puts it in from the right and Stu’s there at the crease to redirect it into the net. Great response.

Conner goes close with a backhand. Courtney lands a monster hit in the neutral zone. Marton Szasz skates around the net, puts it back out front and Carl’s there to whack it in for another power play goal. End of the second and Huskies back level and back in the game.

I didn’t expect that third period though. At 4-4 and with the way the game had ebbed and flowed I thought we might be looking at something like 6-6 and overtime, but that wasn’t the case at all.

We’d created so much over the first two periods and were only just able to keep ourselves afloat. The third gives us a lesson in what perseverance can do for you.

Things get going three minutes in. There’s 5-on-3 hockey for 1:20 and Haringey make it count. Ruskin with a snipe from the high slot, top left corner for yet another goal on the power play, our third of the night. Wow.

Ryan Payne makes two big hip checks straight off the bench. I’ve been really enjoying watching Ryan over the last few games I’ve seen. Very physical, which is no bad thing.

With 10 left on the clock, Carl’s put through and heads to the net. His first attempt is saved but he jams away and scores nearside from the left. A brilliant hat trick from a player who is becoming more and more important to this Haringey side.

Ruskin makes it 7-4 with his second of the night. His initial shot fires wide and comes back of the boards, and he follows-up to blast in from the left. Determination, perseverance, this is what makes the difference.

Mustangs call a timeout with nine minutes left in the game. Haringey have dominated the period so far, in a way in which they hadn’t all game.

A minute later and Luke Martin is skating coast-to-coast. He shoots from the left but, like Ruskin’s goal moments earlier, his initial attempt is denied before following up and finding the back of the net on the second try. Haringey continue to push and end up putting 24 shots on net to Invicta’s 10 in the third period.

There’s a move right at the end that was breathtaking. In centre ice, Ruskin turns away from and skates beyond three Invicta players, heading to the net but his shot is saved high up. What a goal that would have been.

Invicta have 5-on-3 hockey for 49 seconds but Haringey shut it down, and Dylan makes probably the best save I’ve seen this year. Sprawled on the ice he gloves it from absolutely nowhere from the right and ensures Haringey don’t get scored on in the third. Amazing, amazing save.

A brilliant game with several standout performances.

In the hunt for third place, to my mind that was the most difficult of the remaining league fixtures. Chelmsford at the Palace, Bristol at the Pound, then Cardiff back in north London all have their hazards but we’ve beaten them and we’ve beaten them well, and I’d back us to do so again.

The games are coming quickly now and March is packed. Chelmsford up next. See you on Saturday.

Let’s Go Huskies.