Ice Hockey – Edinburgh Capitals v Braehead Clan

Lapse of concentration costs the Capitals at Murrayfield.

Two played ten as Braehead Clan visited Murrayfield in the latest round of the Elite Ice Hockey League. With just a few games left, the Capitals saw the opportunity to gain a play-off spot by climbing to eighth disappear in a moment of “What the …!” on Sunday night.

The first three-quarters of the first period were a fairly evenly matched contest with Edinburgh probably belying their league position and more than holding their own against the Clan. But it all went wrong in the fifteenth minute as 64, Joel Champagne (assists – 23, 5) finished off a period of sustained pressure on the Capitals’ goal with a short range effort which found a gap in the ‘keepers defence. A minute later, they were on the scoreboard again with a longer range strike from 19, Neil Trim (assists – 6, 25) which flew past the slightly unsighted Hiadlovsky and into the back of the net. The remaining five minutes of the period favoured the visitors, but the period ended with no further scoring, 2-0 to the Clan.

Whatever some coaches can conjure up at a play break seemed to come into effect as the second period largely belonged to the Capitals with three goals to the Clan’s zero to take a 3-2 lead into the third. The first was a Powerplay success in the fifth minute, with 14, Daniel MacIntyre slipping in between Trim and the Clan ‘keeper, Will, to stick the puck in the back of the open goal. The second goal was fired in by 11, Curtis Leinweber (assists – 13, 29) past the ‘keeper’s right shoulder for the Capitals equaliser. Two minutes later, Leinweber (assists – 43, 36) was on the scorecard again with the Capitals’ third to take the lead for the first time on the night. The Clan piled on the pressure, forcing Hiadlovsky to make a couple of decent saves, but they couldn’t add to their tally and the period ended 3-2 to Edinburgh.

The Clan did most of the pressing early in the third period, but neither team could make any headway, Until, in the 50th minute, Edinburgh’s hopes were raised when Clan’s 22, Chris Frank, was ejected from the game for an ‘over enthusiastic’ disagreement with the officials. At this point, the Capitals had a five on three opportunity to go further ahead, but the blew the chance and the final minute of the game ticked over. Unfortunately, it was to be a fatal final minute for Edinburgh’s chance to take their first win in 11 matches when a lapse in concentration by one of the defenders and the ‘keeper left the Clan’s Ed McGrane with the puck in front of the goal. 48 seconds left, ‘Bang’, goal, game gone…?

Despite a huge amount of pressure by the Capitals in the final seconds, and during the ensuing overtime period, with the score remaining at 3-3, the match went to penalties. And it was the Clan who took the shootout 2-1 and, as a result, went home with the extra point having picked the pocket of the home side and, more or less, stolen the game.

So, a salutary lesson in ‘It’s never over ‘til it’s over’ for the Capitals as they enter the final throes of the season with all chances of a play-off place having evaporated in that brief moment of ‘Oh, no….!’

Images from the match will appear here over the next few days