Telford Tigers will be ordered to “start burying games” when Andrei Makrov makes his debut against Hull Pirates and Milton Keynes Lightning this weekend.
The county men have enjoyed the majority of possession in most games this season, but remain sixth in the English Premier League standings.
Head coach Tom Watkins brought in Estonian international Makrov on Thursday, as he looks to inject more success into his side’s efforts in the final third of the ice.
And he’ll be looking for an immediate upturn in fortunes this weekend.
Watkins said: “Around the front of the net is somewhere we need to be better, and that is where we’ve dropped a lot of points so far this season.
“To create the offence, you have to capitalise on the offence as well. The longer you leave a team in a game, the more confidence they get and the more frustrated we become.
“We have got to be taking those scoring opportunities when they present themselves and start burying games.”
Makrov’s first outing for the Tigers will be Saturday’s trip to face Hull Pirates, with his home debut coming against Milton Keynes Lighting on Sunday.
Watkins added: “Having Andrei here gives us a lot of different options to look at, especially with the way we balance the team out on any given night.
“Whether we go with three import forwards and one import defenceman, or even four import forwards, it helps to change the dynamic of what we do.”
Sunday’s encounter with Milton Keynes is arguably the tougher of this weekend’s games, with the Lightning still very much involved in the EPL title race.
But despite Telford holding the upper hand against Pete Russell’s men by three wins to one across the season, Watkins remains cautious of the threat they present.
“A series between two sides doesn’t make a huge amount difference and I just see it as two points up for grabs,” he said.
“Every game and every day is different. Although it is nice to have a good head to head record against teams, I don’t think it changes motivation around the players at all.”
Sunday’s clash with Milton Keynes Lightning, at Telford Ice Rink, faces off at 6pm. For tickets, got to www.tigershockeyuk.com.
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