Ice Hockey: Sorry side loses 21st straight league game

Published on Friday 18 February 2011 13:08

THE nightmare continues. Edinburgh Capitals lost their 21st straight Elite League game last night, ironically, in front of one of their biggest attendances due to a cut-price ticket scheme.

And one wonders why these offers are being pushed now when Capitals are being hammered each week and not earlier in the season when owner Scott Neil still had a team compared to the current line-up down to five imports following a mass exodus of foreign players.

Last night's 10-2 defeat by fellow strugglers Newcastle Vipers leaves Neil's sad side with 15 points from 45 games.

They are now nine points adrift of the Tyneside team who have played one more game.

Let's stop talking about the end-of-season play-offs. This hard-working but outclassed group of players won't make it. They have nine league games remaining, only three of them at home.

Belfast Giants, coached by former Capitals playcaller, Doug Christiansen, and who are in the title race, arrive on Saturday. Hull Stingrays, battling for a play-off spot, are due on March 13 and title-chasing Cardiff Devils visit in the final scheduled league fixture of the season on March 20.

Cash-strapped Capitals will now be shelling out for travel and wages with only three pay days left.

For the record, Capitals lost 25 goals this weekend and scored two. They capitulated 15-0 at Braehead on Saturday and were outshot 69-11.

Doubles by Clan player/coach Bruce Richardson, Jordan Krestanovich and Brendan Cook did some of the damage.

Last night, Newcastle whipped Capitals 10-2. Neil claimed pre-game that last night's game could be their best chance of ending the embarrassing slump.

His optimism lasted just over two minutes, when Kyle Sibley netted. It was 2-0 only 12 minutes later when Toms Hartmanis scored. Mike Prpich made it 3-0 only 14 seconds into the middle session before Jeff Hutchins sparked a mini-revival.

He opened Capitals account after 25min 03sec and made it 3-2 at 25min 31sec.

The crowd were on their feet but the joy did not last long. Prpich netted his second after 31 minutes and six unanswered goals hit Capitals net after that.

Prpich finished with four goals and two assists, Jaro Rzeszutko claimed a hat-trick and an assist, Sibley a goal and four assists, busy Hartmanis a goal and three assists and player/coach Danny Stewart set up four goals.

Newcastle are, like Capitals, struggling financially. They came north with a short bench but had the edge.

The loss of new defenceman Blake Royale with a back injury sustained at Braehead on Saturday did not help the home side and netminder Jens van Pouke had an off night. The home side's power play was powder puff, a legacy of not having enough bodies at training, and the players, frankly, run out of stamina through having to work so hard.

The goals against tally is now a staggering 321 with 122 scored and the entertainment currently being provided is desperate.

It would be better if the curtain could come down now on what has been a sorry campaign to put the hard-working players and the long-suffering fans out of their misery. But we still have those nine games to go.

Frustrated skipper Martin Cingel said: "At this stage, after so many losses it is very difficult to pick yourself up to play. "All the guys are giving 100 per cent week-in and week-out against 12 imports and three or four lines and it's impossible to compete."

"This is an all-time low. We've never lost so many games and it's just frustrating."