The Tigers will be firing on all cylinders against Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday night, following Saturday’s 4-3 loss to Milton Keynes Lightning.
A tightly fought affair at the Thunderdome saw Telford go two goals down in the second period, before staging a comeback to draw level at 3-3 later on.
Milton Keynes, however, hit back with just a few seconds left on the clock, condemning The Tigers to their third defeat of the campaign.
Head Coach Tom Watkins, who steered Telford to the EPL title and cup double last season, will demand a two-point return from Sunday’s visit of Peterborough.
He said: “It really hurts when your team loses in the last minute, especially after doing so well to pull the score back to 3-3. One of our big weaknesses tonight was puck management, and we have got to be better at that.
“The guys are professional and they know that one game doesn’t make a season, but the visit of Peterborough is a big game for us.
“They know what they have to do, to make sure we pick up two points from the last game of the weekend. We have to win our games at home.”
Those two goals from Milton Keynes saw them end the second session with a 2-0 advantage, before Max Birbraer struck just 45 seconds after the break.
The Lightning regained their advantage on 48 minutes, ahead of further goals from Joe Miller and Phil Hill.
But in a nail biting finish, it took the hosts just 21 seconds to regain the lead, as they secured victory in the final minute of the game.
Watkins added: “Both our powerplay and penalty kill were very good tonight. It is five on five hockey that is letting us down at the moment.
“If we’re not scoring a lot of goals, then we need to be tighter on defence. In some ways, we are putting ourselves under pressure.”
The Tigers supremo also wants to improve his side’s performances in the opening 20 minutes of games – starting with Sunday’s visit of the Phantoms.
“We want to create a sense of urgency around the first goal,” he said.
“If that doesn’t happen, there is still a full game to play, but we want to be winning the first period. I want to make sure we don’t give teams a start against us.”
Sunday’s game against Peterborough Phantoms, at Telford Ice Rink, faces off at 6pm. For tickets, go to www.tigershockeyuk.com.
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