New Season
The hockey season is back, and you can follow it all with us right here on BIH.
Stats Centre
We are working on an archive of matches, stats and players from BIH in the past few years.
Capitals one month in
The Caps new look Eastern European squad completed September without a win, but Richard Hartmann’s team looked more competitive as the month progressed. I for one am a happy Caps fan and here’s why.
I have been a fan of ice hockey and in particular hockey in Edinburgh since the mid-80s, I have seen the Racers win championships, I have suffered through the demise of my hockey team, I have watched as we built up the Caps from nothing and then finally enter the EIHL along side Newcastle Vipers. I have since watched as British ice hockey has seen teams come and go from the top flight of UK hockey whilst Scott Neil has soldiered on year upon year. At times it may have felt like simply survival, we may not set UK hockey alight, but we are there and we are normally competitive. It’s not so many seasons ago the Caps defeated Sheffield Steelers five times out of six during a league season.
It’s been tough though, the Caps are managed on a shoe string budget with crowds lingering around the 600 mark. No sour grapes though, all leagues in all sports have an array of clubs with different financial backings. I am just pleased to still have ice hockey in Edinburgh to support following a hellish season last year.
This years Caps are certainly an eclectic bunch. A netminder from Wales being given his first shot as a number one in the EIHL (and doing well!), a Slovak player given his first shot at a coaching role, and a team bus where the dominant language is certainly not English (some Caps fans travel to away games on the team bus).
The Caps crazy gang had a tough start to the season, two home games against a very strong Nottingham squad separated by a trip to the Belfast Giants. Wonderful. Three defeats were expected and duly delivered. We then played Fife Flyers away and despite dominating were defeated by the odd goal in five. We then lost to Braehead at home. However, Caps fans also saw that the team were beginning to read each others plays, Rene Jarolin and Richard Hartmann looked to be clicking, Sladok was sticking up for his team mates and Craze was settling in nicely in nets.
Last weekend we took our first point of the season in Dundee, all be it a Challenge Cup point. A 2-2 draw kept the travelling fans happy and it was a very even contest. Richard Hartmann the player coach scored both goals and does look the most potent of the Caps forwards. The following night a very aggressive looking Belfast team defeated the Caps 5-0 in Edinburgh – it was a fair reflection of the game but even then there was plenty to cheer about. The Caps played well in spells, Sladok fought and won in a match up with Adam Keefe, and Craze was outstanding in nets. If the Caps had been slightly sharper in front of nets it may have been closer, but the Giants deserved their win.
The key thing is Caps fans have a team to support again. Rumours continue that the club are looking to strengthen and the feeling amongst fans are this team are quite literally two players short of team that will begin to start putting points on the board. Fingers crossed the owners can find the cash from somewhere.
For this Caps fan though I am just happy to have a team to support again. Now…bring on the Flyers.
Chris Gent
blog comments powered by Disqus0-3 |
||
| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-3 |
||
| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-5 |
||
| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-4 |
||
| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-4 |
||
| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
2-4 |
||
| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
5-8 |
||
| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-1 |
||
| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-1 |
||
| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-2 |
||
| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
3-7 |
||
| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-1 |
||
| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
- Adam Walker
- Alex Birch
- Andy Pierce
- Chris Gent
- Christopher Beal
- Craig Simpson
- Dave Simms
- Elliott Stanley
- Gareth Chalmers
- James Broughton
- James Gordon
- Katy Madgwick
- Luke Catterson
- Mark Briggs
- Mark Duell
- Mat Young
- Patrick Smyth
- Promotion
- Russ Morrell
- Seanna Murdock
- Stephen Dowson
- Stewart Roberts
- Tom Forster
- Vicki Smart
- William Lyon
