Family occasion for Telford Tigers duo
Telford Tigers head coach Tom Watkins hailed a ‘special’ moment for his family after taking to the ice with son Sam.
They played together as the Tigers returned to the top of the NIHL National League with an 8-4 triumph over Bees at Telford Ice Rink.
“It was a great moment for me and my family,” said Watkins senior. “I played my first game with my son Sam and it is something I’ve been hoping to do since Sam broke into the team.
“We started the game together on the starting line-up and finished the game killing a penalty together.
“It is a great memory and very special to play alongside my son.”
The head coach was among the scorers in the high-scoring triumph, with Jack Hopkins (three), Scott McKenzie (two) and Vladimir Luka (two) also getting among the goals.
And after the game, Watkins was full of praise for his table-topping side.
He said: “We keep finding a way to grind out a win which is a big credit to the attitude of the team.
“I was disappointed to go two behind as I thought we started well but were too aggressive with our up ice pressure.
“We took full advantage of the power play opportunity at the end of the first period and turned the game around.
“It was a big change of momentum and from there we got stronger and played a very good second period.
“I should make a special mention for Jack Hopkins for scoring a hat-trick – he keeps getting better and better every game and is making a difference at both ends of the rink.”
The Tigers are away to Basingstoke Bison on Saturday and back at home against Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday.
n Match report: See Page 44
