Late show earns Telford Tigers win in coach's 800th game

The Tigers scored three times in the final three minutes to snatch a thrilling 7-5 win over Basingstoke Bison in the National League.

David Thomson was the star of the night with four goals, while Eric Henderson also scored twice as Telford rebounded from Saturday’s agonising shoot-out defeat at Peterborough.

Watkins’ men had been leading 4-2 with three minutes of that game remaining only to end up beaten but 24 hours later it was roles reversed, much to the head coach's delight.

“We found a way to win!” he said. “That’s the message I think is most important and what matters tonight. 

“Credit to our special teams. We were 100 per cent on the penalty kill and on the power play with us scoring four power play goals. 

“That’s some haul and shows how hard they worked. It was a frustrating performance as we let them back into the game a couple of times then gave up the lead but we kept our composure.

“This was my 800th game. It was a nice way to mark that occasion with a win.”

The Tigers made a perfect start with Caelan McPhee giving them the lead inside four minutes.

It was an advantage which was soon doubled when Thomson bagged his first of the evening, with a shot which went through Bison goaltender Max Wright.

But the visitors were soon back in it, Evan Nauth firing in a superb effort from distance which Ben Norton in the Telford goal had no chance of saving.

Basingstoke were the better team in the second period, with the Tigers forced back but it was the home side who scored next, Henderson firing past Wright to restore the two-goal cushion.

Yet the pressure from the visitors would soon pay dividends, George Norcliffe scoring twice before the second intermission to level things up at 3-3.

It was momentum they carried into the opening minutes of the third period, Thomas Relf beating Norton low down to his right to give the Bison their first lead of the night.

Telford had to dig deep but they were given a helping hand by their opponents. When the Bison were penalised for interference, Thomson scored his second of the game to make it 4-4.

Parity lasted for all of 30 seconds. Hallam Wilson found space and fired into the bottom corner of the home goal from the right circle to put the visitors back in front.

They remained in the lead heading into the final three minutes when Liam Morris was called for tripping and joined team-mate Zak Shankar in the sin bin.

With the two-man advantage on the power play, Watkins called time out to give his players the chance to draw breath.

Thomson duly equalised with a shot which beat Wright for power and with the Bison still a player down, Henderson scored his second of the match to put the Tigers ahead with less than 100 seconds to play.

There was still time for more drama when Louie Newell was called for cross-checking, giving the visitors one final power play with 30 seconds left. 

But Norton repelled the danger, with Thomson sending the puck into an empty Bison net to complete the victory.