Hull stung but Newcastle Vipers hit for six
Oct 18 2010 The Journal
NEWCASTLE Vipers' failure to deal with Edinburgh Capitals' offence while one of their team-mates sat in the away penalty box cost them dearly at Murrayfield last night.
The Vipers went into the game weekend bottom of the penalty-killing table and it was no surprise that their special teams failed to do their jobs on both occasions during the first period that the Capitals operated powerplays.
Nothing changed in the second when the home side made their conversion rate three from three and in the final period, two further powerplays scores meant that the Vipers had conceded seven over the weekend.
Two of the goals let in during the 5-3 home win against the Hull Stingrays on Saturday were powerplay markers.
The first powerplay goal last night came in an unlucky 13th minute with the Capitals’ top points scorer Alex Kim getting the scoring contact on the puck.
With just 33 seconds left in the period, the black vulcanised rubber disc struck by Evan Schafer this time was bypassing Effinger again and crossing the goal line.
Counting the pre-season loss, a third defeat on the large Murrayfield ice pad was on the cards from nine minutes into the middle period when Adam Taylor hit the Capitals’ third powerplay marker.
Defenceman Kyle Sibley, who had scored against the Stingrays, hit his second of the weekend and fourth of the season to put the Vipers back in the game just over two minutes later. But any hopes of a comeback were crushed when former Viper Jeff Hutchins hit the Cap’s fourth powerplay score of the night and with five minutes left to play, Jacques Perreault made it 5-1.
The Capitals’ sixth followed with one minute and 45 seconds left to play and was even handed with Chris St. Jacques shooting home.
The Vipers needed to beat the Stingrays at Whitley Bay on Saturday night having won only one of their previous eight games – and they couldn’t have got off to a better start.
With the game less than a minute old the home side took the lead when Toms Hartmanis shot over netminder Christian Boucher’s right hand shoulder from the edge of the crease.
A long range powerplay success from Kyle Sibley and a close range Patrik Forsbacka strike that concluded another man advantage put the Vipers in control of the game, or so it seemed.
Trevor Read struck under two minutes later to make it 3-1.
An unassisted Jason Silverthorn powerplay strike six minutes into the second period threatened the Vipers’ ascendancy.
Straight from the subsequent face off the Vipers made it 4-2, Boucher inadvertently kicking the puck over the line following Dean Holland’s shot.
The lead was extended on 43 minutes when Forsbacka struck his second of the night.
However the Stingrays quickly hit back through Matt Davies on a powerplay.
CAPITALS: Perreault and Taylor 1+2, Kim and St. Jacques 1+1, Hutchins and Schafer 1+0, Cingel, Fanto and Horne 0+1.
VIPERS: Sibley 1+0, Carroll and Mahovsky 0+1.
