Telford Tigers beat leaders as they climb to sixth

They struck almost at will in Saturday night's hard-fought 8-5 victory over Bracknell before an even more impressive display in Manchester on Sunday, earning them a 6-3 success over the league leaders.

Tigers coach Tom Watkins said: "Right through the weekend, it was a case of the will versus skill mantra.

"If you don't work hard, then no matter how good you are, the pressure will come.

"Our work ethic at the moment is superb and we took our chances in both games very well. We scored at the right times and it showed in the end results.

"We outplayed Manchester, in particular, and Declan Ryan was very strong in goal, as was our power play."

Both wins complete a remarkable turnaround in the last few months for the Tigers, with a record of 12 maximum point hauls in 15 games propelling them from bottom place to mid-table security.

More importantly, they now sit five points clear of ninth place – giving them a useful cushion to push that bit further up the league.

Watkins said: "I often have a glance at the tables, just to see where we are and who we are playing next.

"With 16 games to go, there is still a lot to play for and just two losses will put you right back.

"We play Milton Keynes back-to-back this weekend and they have a chance of winning the league, so there will be a lot to play for.

"Our guys need to keep going for that play-off place, so there will be pressure on both sides."

The visit of Bracknell on Saturday appeared to be the easier game on paper, with the Berkshire side having lost their last previous two matches.

A gritty display saw them lead after just 10 minutes, but Telford equalised through captain Scott McKenzie.

The home side then grabbed the initiative with a strike from Adam Taylor, but Bracknell hit back to ensure the period ended 2-2.

A breathless second period saw the Tigers go ahead with goals from Taylor and a double for Miika Kiviranta, while another Bees effort produced a 5-3 scoreline on 40 minutes.

Telford then further extended their advantage with third-period strikes from Danny Rose, Timo Kuuluvainen and Ricky Plant, while the visitors weighed in with two of their own.

The final 8-5 scoreline was one of the highest for some time at Telford Ice Rink, although Watkins was happy with his side's effort.

He added: "The big thing was that we came away with two points. When there is a lot of expectation to win, that can build some pressure.

"The guys always want to get up and stay ahead on games like these, but we didn't do that.

"Adam Taylor scored a couple of good goals and although we weren't sloppy, we did give away a few soft chances. But we got the job done."

The Tigers boss was especially impressed with his side's fitness, as they snuffed out a late Bracknell charge in the third period.

He said: "Our work-rate was pretty high and if you look at the shots on goal, we had a lot of good chances later on. We were handcuffed a few times in front of the net, but we still managed to score eight goals."

Sunday's trip to Manchester promised to be a much tougher affair, with the Phoenix occupying top spot.

Telford responded to Watkins' calls to raise their game, as McKenzie struck after just two minutes.

The hosts equalised on 11 minutes, but goals from Plant and Joe Miller gave Telford a 3-1 lead at the halfway point of the game.

Manchester briefly threatened to make a comeback with a goal on 35 minutes, although Plant soon restored his side's lead.

Adam Walker extended that advantage to 5-2 on the stroke of the period break, with Tony Hand again reducing the deficit six minutes later.

Kiviranta completed a man of the match performance with his second of the night on the 51 minute mark.

Watkins added: "It was a very good performance and we battled really hard. Our work ethic was incredible and that made a big difference.

"We went into the game not feeling a lot of pressure, as most of it was on Manchester. They lost last night and have been on a good run, so they felt it a little bit.

"I made sure we had a lot of fun as a team before the game, then the guys went out there and worked hard for each other."