Tigers' best spell of the season in rout

Success at Ice Sheffield was Telford's fourth straight win and lifts them to fifth place in the English Premier League, just two points adrift of the top four teams.

An early goal settled Tigers' nerves against a Steeldogs side that has collected a string of high-profile scalps this season, ahead of that sparkling second period.

Barry Hollyhead, who took charge of bench coaching duties in the absence of Tom Watkins and Karl Creamer, paid tribute to his side's efforts on Saturday night.

He said: "Sheffield is always a tough place to come and our first period performance wasn't the best. But the second period was probably our best spell of the season.

"The damage was done during those 20 minutes, and in the third our guys did what they had to do. We should have probably scored a few more later on, but 5-1 is a very good away win.

"It was important to get the first goal so early on, as that meant we weren't chasing the game and had a lot less pressure. I thought we were outstanding all night and did all the little things right."

The county men rained in a remarkable 60 shots on Steeldogs netminder Dalibor Sedlar, with Tigers custodian Thomas Murdy also performing admirably to turn away 26 attempts on goal.

Hollyhead added: "Thomas was fantastic for us and made some really good saves. He's really got himself going.

"At this time of the season, the big games come thick and fast, so it is important that we have two very good netminders, in Thomas and Sam Gospel playing well."

Telford's first goal on Saturday came after just six minutes, courtesy of captain Jason Silverthorn.

The hosts equalised just before the interval, but the Tigers put the game beyond reach in the second period. Peter Szabo, Macaulay Heywood (2) and Max Birbraer were all on target before a relatively quiet final period.

Hollyhead added: "Macaulay is a really talented player and he showed that. He's getting his chance in a lot of games this year and is doing everything he is asked.

"Any young player who gets that sort of opportunity should make the most of it, and that's certainly what Macaulay is doing."

Next up for Tigers is Saturday's visit of Manchester Phoenix. For tickets, go to www.tigershockeyuk.com.

Tigers' NIHL boss Jason Parry wants Saturday's 8-2 win over Sheffield Senators to be a turning point in his side's attempts to qualify for the Moralee Conference play-offs.

Telford's impressive return to form continued with a dominant performance at Ice Sheffield, as they collected two points from a match for the first time since the start of last month.

Victory means the Tigers are now two points clear in fourth place, ahead of next weekend's potentially decisive encounter with Solihull Barons.

Parry was delighted with his side's display against basement side Sheffield, saying: "We had three good periods and that made a big difference for us.

"The scoreline could have been a lot bigger early on and we dominated the whole game. The guys have been struggling for confidence and this will help a lot."

Phil Mulcahy got the scoring under way after just 14 minutes on Saturday, although Telford had to wait until the 32nd minute for further goals which finally came thanks to a brace from Adam Taylor.

The hosts hit back five minutes later, yet Joe Aston restored his side's three-goal cushion almost straight away.

A second Sheffield strike at the turn of the period put the Tigers under pressure for the final session but Karol Jets, Callum Bowley (2) and Aston sealed the points.

Attention now turns to that trip to Solihull next weekend, and Parry is already planning for a tough night on Hobs Mot Road.

He added: "We took a point against Solway last weekend, and we talked about momentum then. Another two points has, of course, really helped with that.

"Now we move onto a big game against Solihull. That is our focus now and we'll do our best over there, but it will need a big performance from the guys."