BRAEHEAD CLAN hero Kyle Jones has been tipped to be crowned netminder of the year after his latest starring role.

The Canadian goalie has been in imperious form between the pipes, claiming an impressive 91.4% save rate.

He was at his best at the weekend in the 3-0 and 5-0 wins over Dundee Stars, two results which not only helped Clan claim the Gardiner Conference, but gave Jones his eighth and ninth shut-out of the season.

Head coach Ryan Finnerty has praised the 31-year-old for being one of the main reasons Braehead have surged into top spot in the Elite League.

And the Clan boss is now calling for others to recognise Jones' efforts when the end-of-season award nominations are announced in the coming weeks.

He said: "I don't know what else he has to do to be considered for any player of the year shouts. He's been consistent for us all season. He's finally starting to get the praise he should have been from day one and he's been a rock for us.

"I love the way he takes care of business back there. He's a pleasure to coach and a great guy to have in your team. When you get two back-to- back shut-outs you're doing something right, but Jonesy made some big saves and we got some timely scoring to get a good result."

Jones won't be the only member of Finnerty's Clan required to be on top form as they close in on their first-ever league title.

Currently top of the table by a three-point margin, Braehead face title rivals Nottingham Panthers on Friday night at the Braehead Arena before Fife Flyers come to town on Sunday.

Two wins would take the Glasgow club within touching distance of glory, and Finnerty added: "It's great to have guys that are willing to sacrifice personal glory to help out the team, and players like Derek Roehl are doing that for us.

"It all goes into what we have as a group, and we win, lose and draw together. The Conference win is behind us now and we move on to the league title, with only eight games to go."