Telford Tigers celebrate maximum points weekend after very welcome double success
Telford Tigers provided their season with a shot in the arm as they toasted a four-point weekend.
Tigers roared to maximum points on Friday and Saturday for a first double-header since the opening weekend of the campaign towards the end of September.
Friday night brought around a penalty shots success on the road at Basingstoke Bison following a low-scoring 1-1 draw in regulation time.
Neither side could find a winner in overtime and captain Scott McKenzie's opening penalty shot proved decisive for Tom Watkins' visitors in Hampshire.
Watkins' troops backed up that victory with a 4-3 home triumph over Romford Raiders the following night - with netminder Ben Norton shining for the hosts.
"I thought we were good, really good in patches," Watkins said after his side finished their two clashes sitting fifth in the NIHL National League. "For a period on Saturday we were really solid.
"Offensively we created a lot of good chances and came up against a good goalie otherwise we would've had a couple more.
"The weekend as a whole we have to be pleased with. Our goaltending was really good, our PK and power play against Raiders won us the game, so I'm very happy."
Tigers opened the scoring four minutes into the second period in Basingstoke on Friday night through David Thomson having been set up by Harry Ferguson and Eric Henderson.
But Bison hit back with seven minutes of the period left via a power play with Henderson penalised for hooking as the hosts' Brendan Sellen netted.
Neither side could find a breakthrough in the third period and the same went for overtime in a tight affair.
Canadian goal machine Thomson was once again on hand to open the scoring on Saturday night as Romford were punished while a man light.
Raiders drew level through Adam Laishram three minutes before the first period ended. Ewan Hill put the visitors ahead early in the next period before Tom Byrne's leveller five minutes later.
Byrne netted again five minutes before the end of a bad-tempered second period.
Telford started the third period five on three down and the hosts held out until Jack Cooper scored seven minutes in to level.
The final and decisive goal came from Thomson with his third of the weekend four minutes from time as he fired home after good work from Henderson and Louie Newell.
