Tigers 'laid it all on the line' for victory
"We laid it on the line" was the stirring assessment of Telford Tigers coach Tom Watkins after a stunning victory at Peterborough Phantoms.
A second period purple patch at Bretton Road gave Telford a 5-2 advantage ahead of the final session, with further goals giving them a 6-3 win over the English Premier League title challengers
Sunday night's success in Peterborough was the Tigers' sixth consecutive win, as they look to mount a late challenge for league honours.
And Watkins, who also watched his side trounce Manchester Phoenix 7-2 in Telford the previous evening, was delighted with the latest two-point haul for his men.
He said: "It was a tough game and we battled well for every puck. At 5-2 and going into the third period it looked over, but Peterborough made us fight to the end.
"They had a five on three a few times, but the guys showed some great grit and determination to get the puck out. We laid it on the line and played some of our best hockey of the season."
Dan Davies was on target for Telford after nine minutes in Peterborough, as the visitors dominated early proceedings.
The Phantoms equalised at the start of the second session, but Blaho Novak hit back just a few minutes later.
Tigers skipper Jason Silverthorn extended his side's advantage on 29 minutes, before a fourth goal from Phil Hill at the halfway point of the period.
Andrei Makrov added Telford's fifth of the night moments later, although Peterborough capped a hectic second session with a goal just before the break.
Despite another goal from the hosts with two minutes of the game left, Silverthorn struck once more to seal the points on the stroke of full-time.
Watkins added: "I expected Peterborough to come out hard in the third period, so we separated it into four-minute blocks.
"The first few went quickly and I thought we handled the pressure really well. They found a way through for one goal, but we were the deserved winners."
The Telford supremo also highlighted his squad's scoring record over the weekend, with 15 goals in just 60 minutes of play.
He said: "It is always important to have a good spread of scoring throughout the squad. We had a good touch in front of goal (against Peterborough) and it was the same against Manchester.
"That part of our game has been our Achilles heel for much of the season. The guys took their goals really well this weekend and everyone has done a good job in front of goal over the last few games."
The Tigers are back in action next weekend with two tough matches.
They travel to face EPL leaders Basingstoke Bison on Saturday, before the following night's encounter with third-placed Guildford Flames at Telford Ice Rink which starts at 6pm.
Telford Tigers NIHL coach Jason Parry bemoaned his side's poor fortune in their 7-5 defeat to local rivals Solihull Barons.
Parry's men took a 2-1 lead during the second period at Hobs Moat Road on Sunday, as they looked to secure a third win over the Barons this season.
But four goals from Solihull put the game beyond reach in the final session, before a late – but ultimately unsuccessful – fightback from Telford.
Parry, however, was full of praise for his young squad's performance. He said: "I was pleased with the way the guys played, and for large parts of the game we were the better side.
"We defended solidly, but it was four deflected goals that really hurt us. Nothing can be done about those, and we just didn't get the rub of the green.
"It wasn't a case of playing badly, but those four goals made the difference."
Solihull took the lead after just nine minutes, although Philip Mulcahy equalised for Telford on the quarter-hour mark.
Callum Bowley gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at the start of the second session, before the Barons drew level on 22 minutes.
Corey Goodison restored the Tigers' advantage just a few moments later, but that was cancelled out by a 30th-minute goal from Solihull.
Four goals at the start of the third period appeared to seal two points for the hosts, despite further late Telford strikes from Goodison and Bowley.
Parry added: "I thought with a bit more luck we could have taken something from the game. Nobody in Solihull expected us to do that beforehand.
"We've got the likes of Billingham, Solway and Solihull at home coming up in the next few weeks, so this performance was important.
"The guys are playing with a lot more grit and determination now."
The Tigers NIHL return to action next weekend, when they host Billingham Stars at Telford Ice Rink on Saturday night (5.30pm).
