Pictures: Tigers edge back towards the top

Last night saw the reigning champions beat leaders Basingstoke 5-1 at home, while on Saturday evening, they overcame bottom side Bracknell 3-1, also at Telford Ice Rink.

Those wins mean Telford are now joint-fourth in the English Premier League table alongside Guildford Flames, but with a game in hand.

Victory over the Bison yesterday came after goals from Sam Zajac and Rick Plant in the opening 20 minutes.

The visitors hit back just after the break, but Plant completed his double at the halfway point of the game.

Further goals from Joe Miller and Peter Szabo in the closing session secured victory for the county men.

On Saturday night, captain Jason Silverthorn was on target with an early goal after eight minutes, before Bracknell equalised midway through the second period.

Silverthorn again scored just moments later, but it wasn't until 43 minutes that the hosts recorded their third goal of the game.

It came again thanks to Silverthorn, with head coach Tom Watkins far from happy with the display.

He said: "It was awful and you can't leave a team in a game like we did. In the second period we created 16 or 17 goalscoring chances and only once put the puck in the net.

"Then in the third, we started making a lot of selfish playsand gave them a chance to come back at us. I don't understand that mentality.

"We turned pucks over and tried to beat two or three guys, and that has to stop. The only way we'll win hockey games is by putting pucks in low and defending with five guys."

The Tigers are back in action next weekend, when they travel to face Swindon Wildcats on Saturday, before the visit of Peterborough Phantoms to Telford Ice Rink on Sunday (6pm).

For tickets, go to www.tigershockeyuk.com.

Meanwhile, Tigers' NIHL coach Jason Parry remained proud of his short-handed side despite their 9-1 defeat to Whitley Warriors on Sunday night.

The Telford men faced a remarkable barrage of 62 shots in the north-east as Whitley continued their challenge for the Moralee Conference title.

Defeat on Tyneside followed a 7-5 loss to Sheffield Spartans on Saturday night, completing a tough double-header weekend of away games.

But Parry hailed his side's work-rate after they faced a hard-nosed Whitley outfit.

He said: "Going to Whitley is never easy, but we were missing a lot of players and the Warriors proved too strong in the end.

"My players never gave up and the way they kept pushing is something I am incredibly proud of. The fact that we still had 33 shots on their goal tells its own story.

"Young Sam Ellis stepped in to replace the injured Denis Bell in goal and he did a great job. He turned away 53 shots, which is a fantastic performance."

The Warriors scored three times in the first period before a further two goals in the second session, as they took early control of proceedings.

Simon Harrison snatched a consolation goal on 50 minutes but four more late strikes from the Warriors put the result beyond doubt.

Parry added: "Now is the time for us to look forward and focus on the next game. We can't change what happened on Sunday, so I want to get the guys working again in training.

"We still have a very good chance of making the last two play-offs places, although we are now one of four teams on 22 or 21 points.

"We have a few weeks' break now, so it will be a good chance to shake off the weekend's results. I want us to come back firing."

The Tigers NIHL are next in action on January 30 when they host league leaders Blackburn Hawks. Face off is at 5.30pm.