INJURY-HIT Edinburgh Capitals slipped to a 4-2 defeat at Nottingham Panthers last night but they pushed the high-flyers all the way writes Nigel Duncan.
Chris Lawrence secured the points with a goal in the final minute but the outcome was in the balance until then.
Jordon McLaughlin, Capitals’ third-choice netminder, kept the eager Panthers marksmen at bay in only his second game for the senior side.
He back-stopped bottom club Capitals against Fife Flyers on Hogmanay as a replacement for flu victim Travis Fullarton and the club’s under-20 goaltender was again on duty in the Lace City.
Panthers started well and were 2-0 ahead after 16 minutes when Alex Nikiforuk netted after three minutes and Jeff Brown added another.
Capitals were outshot 16-8 in the first session but the short-benched side never gave up and Ian Schultz scored on a power play after 30 minutes to pull the score back to 2-1.
Brad Moran scored with 48 seconds left of the second session to make it 3-1 in favour of the home side but Pavel Vorobyev netted for Capitals after 48 minutes to make it a nervous finish for the home fans.
Lawrence’s strike ended the contest
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
