Ice Hockey: Season climax unlikely to have Silver lining for Caps

Published on Thursday 17 March 2011 11:43

JASON SILVERTHORN is one of ice hockey's most potent snipers to have graced the Murrayfield rink and proved last Sunday that he still possesses great skill.

The 31-year-old Canadian logged two assists in Hull Stingrays' 8-0 victory over Elite League bottom-markers Edinburgh Capitals. The man from Owen Sound, Ontario, clashes with Capitals on Humberside tomorrow (7.00pm) as the Edinburgh club play their last away game of the season.

Silverthorn and his team-mates produced a professional performance in the shut-out win at the Capitals' Riversdale rink and they are desperately keen to maintain momentum as they move into the play-offs next week.

The Canadian said: "We have to play tomorrow like any other game in this league. Our job is to win the two points against Edinburgh and then another two points at home against Nottingham Panthers on Sunday.

"That means we will go into the play-offs on a high. What we don't want to do is to get into bad habits now."

He added: "We won't know who we'll meet in the play-offs until the final whistle on Sunday, but we have some really experienced guys in this team who know their way around.

"Hull have never been to the final four at Nottingham and we want to be there. Our job now is to worry about ourselves and to keep momentum going."

Hull, saved from extinction by backing from Elite League rivals Coventry Blaze, have shown what can be done by a pro-active management team.

In the summer, they were down and out, with players worried about their jobs because of a cash crisis but they have bounced back.

The Humberside club have comfortably qualified for the play-offs while Edinburgh, who had a competitive team before a mass walk-out of foreign players, have collected only 15 points from a nightmare season in which they have lost 46 of their 52 games so far.

Fans have drifted away but owner Scott Neil, who also doubles as head coach, is already planning for next season. He'll travel south with a depleted team as the club's Scottish National League side have a big game at Dundee tomorrow and coach Mark McGill wants a full line-up.

At Belfast, Neil had nine skaters and two netminders and was whipped and, if Hull produce the form they showed on Sunday, when they toyed with Capitals at times making the exercise look like an exhibition, then defeat certainly looks on the cards.

Neil's men bring their season to a welcome close on Sunday (6.00pm) when Cardiff Devils, coached by former Capitals hard-man Gerad Adams, visit.

The men from the Principality will not be in any mood to be charitable as Devils are still in the title race. The Welsh combine entertain league champions Coventry Blaze tomorrow before driving north to bring the curtain down on Capitals' hugely- disappointing campaign.

So far, second-placed Devils have won 40 of their 52 games, collecting 83 points, the same as league pacesetters Sheffield Steelers.

The stage is certainly set for a nail-biting season finale but, sadly, Edinburgh won't be taking part in the end-of-season play-offs.

&#149 KRIS PHILLIPS claimed a double as Dundee CCS Stars thrashed Edinburgh Capitals 6-1 in the final of the East Coast Cup.

Capitals took a shock lead after five minutes through experienced Jeff Hutchins but Peter Cartwright levelled in the 19th minute before Stars claimed five straight goals to take the title in the inaugural competition.

In the semi-final, Capitals, who had lost 10-1 at Kirkcaldy, and drew 2-2 at Murrayfield earlier in the competition, beat Fife Flyers 4-3 with skipper Martin Cingel claiming a double with Jeff Hutchins and Joe Gautishi grabbing singles in the victory.