Final Regular Season weekend/ Congratulations

It is hard to believe that the year is coming to a close. The regular season has just one weekend remaining. Of course, everyone knows the importance of the games. As a result of Belfast's victory against the Bison last night, if we win in regulation Sunday, we are in. We have a chance on Saturday as well if we win and Basingstoke loses. I am sure our fans are going to be louder than ever. Regardless of what anyone says, Sunday is a playoff game! In fact, it is Game 7.

Bring a friend, bring all your friends! It is going to be a great game. It is a great opportunity for everyone to see a game that does not happen often in sports: an elimination game. I am thrilled to be having the game in our rink in front of our fans!

A large congratulations are in order for the Murrayfield under 20 team which won their League Championship. It is great to see that the future of the Capitals is secure.

Iain Bowie will not be with us this weekend as he is gone with the National Under 18 team. The team is playing in Estonia. It is a great opportunity for him and I am sure he will have a great amount of success against players his own age. He has developed a lot as a player this year and has earned the right to represent Great Britain in international competition. We will miss him in the line up this weekend.

I would like to personally thank all of you for your support. It has been an up and down year, but I am as excited as anyone to get this weekend started!

Up and down week, Dino

This week has been a roller coaster in terms of results. We lost a game against Hull, who was a team we had hoped to beat to solidify our playoff chances. Then we beat a team we have struggled against, Manchester, in a game that was a true nail biter. Last night, we lost to Cardiff in a game where nothing seemed to go the way we wanted it to.

Of course, we are not happy with just 2 points from those 3 games but we have done what was necessary to increase our lead for the 8th playoff position. Hopefully, Sunday we can beat Manchester again and really put the pressure on Basingstoke.

Dino Bauba may not return this season. I am hopeful that we can get him back but this is the same injury he suffered earlier in the year that kept him our for almost 3 months. Therefore, I am not expecting him back.

I am looking forward to seeing you all at our Awards Dinner on Friday night at the Murrayfield. It will be a great way to cap off an exciting year and encourage many of the players to come back next season.

It is hard to imagine that there are only 3 games left in the regular season. We have come along way. We could never have gotten to this position without all the support that we have received from the fans. I hope that we can give you the gift of a home play-off game, something that has been lacking in Scotland for too long!

Playoff Chase, Dino, Premier Executive Travel

Last weekend was the first four point road weekend the Capitals have had in the Elite League. It was a huge weekend and really pushed us in the direction of the coveted playoff spot. We have a long way to go but I was extremely proud of the effort that the players gave. JF Perras was once again outstanding. Colin Hemingway was dominant and Martin Cingel continued to lead the way. However, it was the team defense that we played in Coventry that pleased me the most. We blocked shots, got pucks out whenever we had a chance, and cleared the front of the net. Adam Stefishen probably had the save of the game blocking a shot from Adam Calder that was definitely going in. Holding the Blaze to one goal in Coventry is a team accomplishment.

As great as last weekend was all it did was help us achieve our goal. We have 6 crucial games to go. This weekend we travel to Hull and are home against Manchester. We will be determined to get points out of this weekend and keep our momentum going.

We will most likely be without Dino Bauba who re-injured his groin on Sunday. Mark Garside has been fantastic in his absence and I am looking forward to him stepping up again.

Finally, I would like to personally thank Tom Malcolm the owner of Premier Executive Travel. Tom played a huge role in our successful weekend against Basingstoke and Coventry. He paid for us to leave on Friday so that we did not have a long travel day on Saturday. This included the bus, hotel, and breakfast. It took many hours out of his busy schedule and he really stepped up. Many of the players told me how vital this was to our success. Anyone who saw those games must know how important every ounce of energy was. If any of you are planning road trips in the future, I suggest you try Tom to show your support of his sponsorship.