Ice hockey – Capitals cut down by in-form Giants

Elite League: Edinburgh Capitals 3, Belfast Giants 8

Edinburgh Capitals found Belfast Giants too hot to handle when the pair clashed at Murrayfield.

The Capital combine, boosted by back-to-back wins against Dundee Stars and Fife Flyers, were eventually beaten but matched with the high-flying Northern Irish side for nearly 34 minutes.

Then the visitors claimed five unanswered goals to secure the points in a 8-3 success.

Glasgow-born Colin Shields opened the scoring after 3min 18sec but Jaro Hertl levelled 22 seconds later.

Shields was again on the mark, this time on a power play, after 17 minutes but Karel Hromas brought the score back to 2-2 after 22 minutes.

Jonathan Boxill fired the visitors ahead for a third time four minutes later only for Matt Tipoff to equalise at 3-3 in 33 minutes.

However, Chris Higgins unassisted after 34 minutes, Steve Saviano on the power play with 44 seconds remaining of the middle session, and Adam Keefe unassisted in 45 minutes opened a gap.

And it became bigger when former Fife Flyers defenceman Matt Nickerson netted three minutes later with ex-Capitals player, Mark Garside, assisting.

Nickerson turned provider for Giants’ eighth and final strike from James Desmarais which came with less than three minutes on the clock.