Telford Tigers face big challenge after fifth straight loss

The reigning NIHL National League champions were beaten 6-3 at Basingstoke Bison on Saturday and then again by the same scoreline to Sheffield Steeldogs at Telford Ice Rink on Sunday.

And head coach Tom Watkins wants to see his side tighten up – particularly on home ice.

“It was another tough night for us as a team,” he said. “You won’t win many games giving up six goals at home.

“Defensively, we weren’t good enough. We simply can’t defend at the moment, no matter what we do and even when we get positives or momentum going our way, we kick ourselves in the backside by continually making the same errors.

“This is a big challenge for us to overcome as a team and these are the times you need the fans behind you. It’s easy to support a winning team but it’s when a team is struggling you see the people who really care.

“Right now we have to embrace the challenge as a team and as a fan base.”

Tigers have had a bad habit of conceding first in games this season and this continued when Jordan Buesa opened the scoring for Sheffield early in the first period.

Telford hit back straight away with a goal from Jack Watkins to level the scores.

At the start of the second period, Sheffield were awarded a penalty shot, which was dispatched by Lee Bonner to put them back in front.

Once again, Telford hit straight back with top scorer Vladimir Luka applying the finish to a Jason Silverthorn pass.

Sheffield regained the lead within three minutes when Alex Graham shot low past Brad Day to score

Steeldogs then took the game away from Tigers with goals from Jonathan Kirk on the power play and Bonner’s second of the game to leave Telford reeling.

With 10 minutes left, Tigers’ fans had hope of a comeback when Luka scored his second of the game.

But Sheffield ended any hope of a comeback with Graham scoring again to restore Sheffield’s three-goal cushion.

A disappointing night got worse for Tigers as Scott McKenzie was awarded a match penalty for fighting in the final minute of the game, meaning the forward will likely be suspended next weekend.

n Tigers also conceded first in their 6-3 defeat at Basingstoke on Saturday.

Ricky Plant and Vladimir Luka twice drew level, but the Bison pulled away – while Scott McKenzie could only add one to Tigers’ tally.

After the game, Watkins said: “We had a bad start and gave up a soft goal that we as a team have to stop.

“That’s the last two games we have gone behind in the first two minutes.

“We got better, established a lot of end zone time and created opportunities in the first period but then we let in three soft goals where the puck is on our stick and we don’t deal with their fore check pressure.

“It was good to see our power play back on the scoreboard but it is somewhat irrelevant when we are not picking up the win.

“Mentally the team has to be more resilient, more dogged and not allow the other team into the game so easily.”

Telford were given some good news in the build-up to the game that a potential six-game ban for Jason Silverthorn had been overturned after the club appealed against his match penalty in the previous game against Bees.