Tigers NIHL chief Jason Parry is determined to keep faith in his younger players, following their 8-1 defeat to Blackburn Hawks at Telford Ice Rink on Saturday night.
Parry’s fledglings fell behind after just eight minutes and although they equalised on 16 minutes, the visitors rattled in a further seven unanswered goals.
The absence of several key players, including Adam Taylor, Karol Jets, Callum Bowley and Macaulay Heywood offered the chance for Telford’s youngsters to enjoy extended periods of ice time.
And despite the scoreline, Parry believes Saturday’s game was a useful experience for his young side.
He said: “We were missing some older guys tonight, but I think that gave our youngsters the chance to enjoy some key minutes for us, especially on the powerplay.
“Denis had a great game and made some good saves, but I think my two centremen also played extremely well. We rotated them all night, but Matt Price and Phil Mulcahy were great for us.”
Telford’s only goal came from James Smith, as they struggled to offer a consistent threat to Blackburn’s experienced defence.
The Tigers did, however, remain in contention until the third period, with the Hawks’ final five goals coming in that closing session.
Parry added: “Of course we felt that missing firepower, but the guys worked extremely hard throughout the game. We were still in with a chance until later on.
“Blackburn are a good team and were champions last year for a reason. They also went 18 months unbeaten and when they sense blood, they go for it.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.