Edinburgh, the Jekyll and Hyde city. Stevenson would have loved this season's Caps team because you're never quite sure which one will turn up. Or even if they'll undergo a personality shift during a match. No wonder we compare being a Capitals fan to riding the rollercoaster.
If you don't know anything about British ice hockey then maybe a bit of context will help. Edinburgh are one of ten teams in the EIHL, the top level UK hockey league. Since mid season there has been a clear split between the top five teams, who have been battling for the title, and the rest. Surprise, surprise, that 'rest' is mostly the teams who don't have the income that those at the top enjoy. But they still have something to play for. At the end of the season the top eight teams go into the playoffs, and qualifying for that is a big achievement for a team like the Capitals.
At present they lie ninth, in a tight battle with the three clubs ahead of them, but well clear of Dundee at the bottom. To qualify they really need to be beating others in that 'rest' group, and sneaking what points they can in games against top teams. Last weekend they did just that, winning in Belfast (top team) for the first time in years, and then taking the points against Hull (rest) at home. And this weekend?
It's that split personality, although, to be fair, having a number of players on the injury list hasn't helped. On Saturday they lost heavily to another of the 'rest' teams, Fife. Could they make amends at home against one of the big money sides, Nottingham?
It never really looked very likely. They did well to hold the Panthers to just a single goal in the first period, but things went out of control in the second and the English team had us 4-1 down and with seemingly little hope left. And then there was that personality change again, and in the final twenty minutes it was a different team that showed up. They showed far more fire and imagination and outscored Nottingham by two goals to one. For a final score of 3-5, and a pointless weekend. It's puzzling to watch a team you know can play much better look so much at sea. Maybe they need Jekyll's potion?
No comments:
Post a Comment