Coventry Blaze marched to the top of the Elite League for the first time this season after demolishing Edinburgh Capitals 10-2.
Edinburgh's woes continue; Basingstoke stun Panthers
Coventry Blaze marched to the top of the bmi Elite League standings for the first time this season after demolishing Edinburgh Capitals 10-2 on Wednesday night.
Blaze are now unbeaten in their last six matches and have only been defeated once in their last 12. Capitals have lost their last ten and are shipping goals at an alarming rate.
The visitors actually stayed in this game throughout the opening period and went into the break only a single goal behind - Adam Calder scoring shorthanded at 8.43. Blaze did outshoot Capitals by 18-6 and the floodgates inevitably burst.
Blaze went 2-0 ahead at 22.11 with a strike by Scott Kelman and then at 25.22 Barrie Moore added a third.
Any feint hopes the visitors may have had of a route back into the game were killed off when Blaze scored twice shorthanded on a holding call on Danny Stewart, with Dan Carlson at 36.11 and Kelman with his second of the game 33 seconds later seeing the home side run riot.
Consolation
When Carlyle Lewis made it 6-0 at 38.03 the visitors replaced the shell-shocked Jacey Moore between the pipes with Michel Robinson.
Unfortunately the new goaltender could not stem the flow and having conceded goals at 42.03 from Stewart and then at 43.45 from Calder, Moore was back between the pipes.
Ben O'Connor then powered Blaze 9-0 ahead at 45.22 and then it was double figures at 47.41 as Carlson scored his second of the game shorthanded.
The visitors finally got on the board through Joe Dustin at 48.41 on the powerplay and completed the scoring with a counter by David Nimmo at 54.15 but this was scant consolation for a thoroughly dispirited Scottish outfit.
On Tuesday night,
Nottingham Panthers blew the chance to go top of the standings when they went down 6-4 to the rejuvenated
Basingstoke Bison at the NIC.
Comeback
It had been the home side who started the better and at 4.51 Bruce Richardson deservedly fired them ahead. Bison fought back and levelled through Greg Chambers at 9.23 and then took the lead into the period break with a strike by Jeremy Cornish at 16.00.
Panthers were back on level terms at 21.44 thanks to James Neil, but once again Bison gained the upper hand with firstly Matt Miller scoring at 38.01 and then with 45 seconds of the period remaining a counter by Brent Hughes gave Eric Braff's men a two-goal advantage.
Danny Stewart saw Bison go nap at 46.41 before the Panthers comeback started to gain momentum.
Kevin Bergin at 51.57 and Corey Neilson at 53.21 brought the home side to within a single goal at 5-4, but their hopes were killed off at 54.41 when Matt Miller scored his second of the game.
The superb victory for the visitors saw them haul themselves out of the bottom two for the first time since September 7.
