Telford Tigers will be looking to make an impact at home to Sheffield Steeldogs on Sunday night, after suffering their first loss since early December against Guildford Flames.
Defeat in Surrey brought Telford’s eight-game winning run to an end, and handed the Flames a two-point lead in the race for fourth place in the EPL.
A Flames goal after 19 minutes on Saturday was followed by two further strikes in the second session, before Telford hit back just before the interval.
Head coach Tom Watkins is set demand an immediate return to form when his side faces Sheffield at Telford Ice Rink.
He said: “The timing of that goal at the end of the first period wasn’t great, but I thought we played reasonably well up to then.
“Guildford always come out hard at home, so we had to contain that and we did. It was a bit unlucky, conceding a goal straight off the face-off.
“We’ve got to make a better impact over 60 minutes of a game and create the kind of energy we’ve been playing with over the last few weeks.
“We weren’t establishing our forecheck enough, which has often been key to our success.
“The guys have got to come back from this and play better against the better teams. It’s okay doing that against teams behind us, but we have to take points off those above us.”
Max Birbraer was the only Tigers scorer in Guildford, with his 37th-minute goal sparking faint hopes of a comeback in the final session.
Watkins added: “We probably had our best period in the third, but didn’t create enough quality scoring chances. It was hard not having any powerplays, so if that happens, we have to find a way to score.
“Ultimately, we hit the post twice tonight, but I don’t think either team created a whole lot of quality opportunities.
“It was disappointing to lose two points against a side we’re battling with in the table.”
Sunday night’s game against Sheffield Steeldogs, at Telford Ice Rink, faces off at 6pm.
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