Pictures: Depleted Tigers still get the win

Martin Ondrej and Sam Zajac both left proceedings at the Telford Ice Rink early with injuries on Sunday night, giving the reigning champions just four recognised senior defenceman.

But the combination of Jonathan Weaver, Dan Scott, Danny Rose and Marcus Maynard restricted Guildford to just 24 shots, as opposed to a remarkable 46 from Telford.

The Tigers head coach said: "I thought it was a good all-round performance and the forwards got it done offensively, but our defence was outstanding.

"We lost Sammy and Martin early in the game, so we played for most of it with just four defencemen.

"They battled hard, blocked shots, moved the puck up well and, behind them, Sam Gospel did what he's been doing for a while now.

"We lost a game last week because we didn't block shots, so on Sunday Jonathan Weaver blocked a bunch, as did the others and we need guys doing that all day long.

"It takes away good scoring and simple ways of getting the puck to the net. You consistently sap the other side's belief when you're making it hard for them to get pucks through."

Guildford took the lead early on with a goal from Marcus Kristofferson after just five minutes of the first period.

Telford, however, made their dominance pay later in the session, scoring twice through Jason Silverthorn and Max Birbraer.

The hosts extended their advantage after the break thanks to a well-worked goal from defenceman Dan Scott.

Those first two periods saw Telford deliver a total of 37 shots on Guildford's goal, in contrast to just 13 from the Flames.

It was Silverthorn who sealed victory on 51 minutes, giving The Tigers their sixth win in seven games.

Watkins added: "To be honest, I thought we should have killed the game by the end of the first period. We missed a lot of good chances, and through the second as well.

"I told the guys that I thought the game should have been dead, but it wasn't. I was pleased with the way we played in the third and we didn't give anything up.

"We then got our reward with the late power-play goal."

Telford Tigers are back in action this weekend, when they travel to Sheffield Steeldogs on Saturday, before Sunday's visit of Hull Pirates (6pm).

Go to www.tigershockeyuk.com for tickets.

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Meanwhile, Telford Tigers NIHL extended their unbeaten home run to eight games with a 7-2 win over basement side Sheffield Senators.

Their success saw the county men move to within a point of Moralee Conference leaders Blackburn, albeit after having played several games more.

Coach Jason Parry used the game to give his younger players an extended run – and was rewarded with a dominant performance.

He said: "It was a good game for us and I felt we were comfortable throughout. But perhaps our finishing in front of goal wasn't as good as last week.

"I got everyone on to the ice and managed to use our fringe guys, so in that respect it was an excellent test for us.

"I rested a few guys here and there, which gave a chance to those younger players. It was good to see Phil Mulcahy score, and Simon Harrison."

Sheffield arrived in Telford during the warm-up, but showed few signs of tiredness early on, putting the Tigers goal under pressure.

Adam Taylor, however, was on target after just six minutes, as the youngster scored the hosts' first goal with a fine individual effort.

The Tigers began to dominate as the first period wore on and Simon Harrison doubled their advantage with a close-range shot on 11 minutes.

Callum Bowley scored just 37 seconds into the second session, before the visitors hit back with a goal on 35 minutes. Telford regained their three-goal lead through Karol Jets.

The third period saw strikes from Bowley, Jets and Mulcahy, ahead of a late consolation from the visitors.