Tom Watkins believes added sharpness in front of goal was the key difference in Telford Tigers’ 9-3 win over Manchester Phoenix in the Red Hockey Cup.
Sunday’s victory in Deeside followed a nail-biting 4-3 loss at Telford Ice Rink on Saturday night, as Watkins brings his pre-season programme to an end.
Image courtesy of Lauren Rankin
The Tigers supremo will apply finishing touches during the coming week, ahead of opening league games against Sheffield Steeldogs and Swindon Wildcats.
But with both teams sharing the spoils during a dramatic weekend, Watkins is now looking forward to the start of that EPL title defence.
He said: “The big thing for us tonight is that we put the puck in the net when we had the chance. Both teams had similar opportunities , but we took our chances better.
“We have had two weeks of hard work and blowing the cobwebs away. It was a good all-round performance tonight and it will do a lot for confidence.
“It is encouraging to see we’re doing the right things and making the right decisions. Overall, I am pleased with the way pre-season has gone.”
Sunday night’s game, played at Manchester’s temporary Flintshire home, saw the hosts go ahead after five minutes, before Macaulay Heywood equalised moments later.
Dan Davies added a second for Telford on seven minutes, and Joe Miller doubled that advantage with five minutes of the period remaining.
A manic end to the first session saw strikes from Davies and Miller increase The Tigers’ lead to 5-1 at the break.
Manchester hit back with a goal just after the restart, before Telford continued the rout, thanks to Max Birbraer (2) and Dale White.
A late consolation goal from the Phoenix looked to have ended the night’s scoring in the final period, before Miller completed his hat-trick with three minutes remaining.
Watkins added: “I thought we did a lot of good things tonight and took our chances well. When you’re playing a team back to back, you don’t want to be blanked twice.
Image courtesy of Lauren Rankin
“It is a bigger ice pad in Deeside, but we stepped up and played well. It was great to see Max score twice and use that heavy shot of his in front of goal.
“The whole team played well tonight and it was a big effort. Thomas Murdy was excellent in goal and all round, it was a good game to watch.”
The Tigers’ league campaign gets under way next weekend, when they travel to Sheffield Steeldogs on Saturday, before hosting Swindon Wildcats at Telford Ice Rink on Sunday (6pm).
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