Ice Hockey: Caps take beating

Published on Friday 25 February 2011 12:11

EDINBURGH CAPITALS sad season continued at the weekend when they were thrashed at home and slipped up on the road to take their losing run to 23 in a row.

Last night, they were edged 12-3 at Elite League rookies Dundee CCS Stars, their second straight defeat at The Dundee Ice Arena.

Former Capitals forward John Dolan claimed a treble and ex-Capitals defenceman Jeff Marshall set up five of Dundee's goals.

Player/coach Dan Ceman and Jay Latulippe also scored trebles in the comfortable win. Jordan Steel, Bari McKenzie and defenceman Jan Safar netted for short-benched Capitals.

Dundee fired 58 shots at netminder Jens van Poucke, Capitals hitting 28 in return.

Van Poucke was in the middle of the action and prevented Edinburgh Capitals from having a cricket score against their name as Belfast Giants skated to a 9-0 victory at Murrayfield on Saturday.

The newcomer had 51 shots to deal with in a one-sided game in which his opposite number Nathan Craze was a virtual spectator. He had 13 shots fired at him.

Surprisingly, given Belfast's possession, it was only 2-0 at the first break, Brett Hemingway slotting home in the fifth minute and Josh Prudden making it 2-0 four minutes later.

Before the end of the period, van Poucke was under constant pressure, with Brandon Benedict, former Capitals hit-man Simon Lambert, Glasgow-born Colin Shields and Jeff Mason all coming close.

It was a similar story in the middle session when Giants were almost camped out in Capitals zone and the home side relied on breakaways to threaten. They held out until five minutes from the second break despite a constant barrage with another former Capitals player, Dan Welsh, and Lambert again threatening.

It was, however, only a matter of time before No.?3 arrived and Brett Hemingway netted after a neat move. Two minutes later it was game over as Giants scored their fourth, Michael Jacobsen poking the puck home at the far post after Welsh had laid the goal on a plate.

Capitals' agony was complete when Welsh scored with 29 seconds remaining in the session, Craig Peacock doing all the work before a neat finish.

Four goals crashed into the Capitals net in the final stanza. Glasgow-born Colin Shields opened the visitors' account in the 46th minute with a shot from distance.

Capitals were once again trapped in their end zone and the inevitable happened, Jon Gleed scored from close in five minutes later. No 8 arrived from the stick of Peacock with eight minutes left and Graeme Walton finished off the move of the night when he slotted home after a slick, three-man move with 45 seconds remaining.