Ice Hockey – Capitals slip to a fourth defeat as Fife hit nine

Elite League: Fife Flyers 9, Edinburgh Capitals 3; Manchester Storm 4, Dundee Stars 1; Braehead Clan 1, Belfast Giants 5

Edinburgh Capitals slipped to a 9-3 fourth straight defeat when they were beaten 9-3 at arch rivals Fife Flyers on Boxing Day.

Fife’s success snapped a confidence-sapping five-game losing streak and Ryan Dingle claimed a treble and set up three other goals while Justin Fox and Brendan Brooks netted doubles.

The home side led 3-0 after 13 minutes thanks to goals from Philippe Paquet, Justin Fox and Carlo Finucci.

Pavel Vorobyev pulled one back in the 14th minute but another two goals inside seven, second period minutes from Dingle and Brooks put the home side 5-1 ahead.

Vorobyev pulled one back short-handed after 29 minutes but another three goals hit Edinburgh’s net inside eight, third period minutes.

Dingle netted two, one from a penalty short and another from a power play opportunity, and Brooks scored again on the power play.

Fox scored his second after 53 minutes and Jared Staal unassisted claimed a consolation less than five minutes from time.

Braehead Clan were rolled over by in-form Belfast Giants, the Northern Irish side collected their eighth straight success with a comfortable win.

Glasgow-born Colin Shields opened the scoring after 15 minutes for Giants but Scott Aarssen levelled on the power play four minutes later.

Four unanswered goals, two in each period, finished off the Scots.
Ryan Martinelli made it 2-1 after 27 minutes and East Kilbride-born Mark Garside, with former Fife Flyers star Matt Nickerson assisting, added to the visitors total six minutes later.

An Alex Foster power play goal after 51 minutes and a fifth from Steve Saviano four minutes after that completed the scoring.
DUNDEE Stars slipped to their second straight defeat when they were shutout 4-1 at Manchester Storm.

The mid-table English side have now won their last two games and player/coach Omar Pacha was a key figure with two goals.

Kevin Bruijsten scored Dundee’s consolation three seconds from time and the defeat leaves Dundee in the bottom two but they are back in action tomorrow (WED, 7.30pm) when they face a crunch clash with Fife Flyers at The Dundee Ice Arena.