Edinburgh Capitals suffer heavy defeat by Braehead Clan

Mike Cazzola gave Caps the lead within a minute. Pic: Ian Coyle

It was a dominant performance from Braehead as they continue to fight for a place in the play-offs but, despite taking the lead and rattling the post in the opening 90 seconds, it was another one of those nights for the Caps.

The Murrayfield men went in front after 52 seconds when a Mike D’Orazio shot from the blue line into the centre took a final touch off Mike Cazzola and into the net to stun the home fans.

The visitors almost added a second straight away when Dillon Lawrence hit the post, but you sensed Braehead would draw level as they peppered Jordan McLaughlin’s goal.

Brendan Brooks finished from close range amidst a scramble around McLaughlin’s crease, before Adam Brace smashed a blue-line shot home to put Clan in front.

Clan increased their lead in the final minute of the first period when Michal Gutwald took a knee and swept his effort into the net to put the home side 3-1 ahead.

It soon became a three-goal gap when Landon Oslanski finished his own rebound, but Edinburgh got another on the board when Lawrence came in from the right and fired home a diagonal shot.

It proved to be a false dawn for Caps. Braehead extended the lead as Cameron Burt rifled one in on the powerplay, followed by Brooks picking up his second as he rounded McLaughlin and tapped in a sixth.

Brooks sealed his hat-trick in the early stages of the third with a tap-in to complete the rout and send Edinburgh home from another morale-sapping night. Those last six games can’t come soon enough.