Ice Hockey: Miles take their toll as Blaze hit seven unanswered goals

Edinburgh CAPITALS player-coach Richard Hartmann admitted a combination of a lack of firepower and fatigue were the root causes behind their 7-2 Elite League loss against the Coventry Blaze last night.

Capitals had lead 2-0 after 20 minutes, but seven unanswered goals from the West Midlands outfit ensured the Murrayfield men would return from their weekend road trip with nothing to show for their efforts.

Hartmann said: “We had a great start, we scored two goals, and had chances to go even further ahead but didn’t take them. Towards the end of the game we were tired, especially the defencemen, we just couldn’t handle the pressure we were put under.”

Latvian sniper Marcis Zembergs had opened the scoring for the visitors in the eighth minute and the same player increased their advantage on the power-play at 12.21, but that was as good as it got for the Edinburgh side.

Coventry took control of the game with four goals coming in a ten-minute spell in the second period, two power-play strikes from American defenceman Dustin Wood, with further markers from Robert Farmer and Owen Fussey, a Blaze blitz to which the Capitals had no answer. Three goals in the game’s final ten minutes became the icing on the cake for the Blaze, with Frantisek Bakrlik, Matic Kralj, and a shorthanded effort from Mike Mclean doing the damage.

On Saturday night, a rally in the third period from Cardiff Devils saw them squeak a 3-2 win against their Edinburgh rivals, in the first meeting of the two teams this season.

After 40 minutes of action in the Welsh capital Edinburgh lead 1-0, with the only goal coming on the power-play from Hartmann in the 35th minute.

Two goals inside a minute turned the game for the Devils. They were awarded a five-on-three power-play when Capitals defenceman Danny MacIntyre was closely followed into the penalty box by Hartmann, the Devils took full advantage scoring twice from the sticks of Stuart MacRae at 43.49 and Mark Richardson at 44.34. Devils made it 3-1 with a strike from Jeff Pierce, before Edinburgh scored in the 51st minute with a power-play goal from Rene Jarolin.

Despite two further power-play opportunities, and pulling net-minder Nathan Craze in the final minute, the game-tying goal proved elusive to Edinburgh.