Tom Watkins hailed his side’s powerplay unit as a crucial factor in Sunday night’s 6-5 win over English Premier League title rivals Basingstoke Bison.
A post-Christmas rally from the Hampshire side had seen them climb to third place in the standings, as part of the chasing pack behind leaders Telford.
But victory for The Tigers has now established a 14-point cushion to the Bison, with Guildford – 11 points adrift in second place – the only other side within striking distance.
Image courtesy of Telford Tigers
Head Coach Watkins believes Telford’s ability to capitalise on the extra man was a key part of their success over Basingstoke.
He said: “We started the second period on a five on three, and that was a huge kill for us.
“I was disappointed that we then took a silly penalty on a change. To give up a goal on that did hurt us.
“But if you don’t take that next step during a five on three, you lose that little bit of impetus.
“Yes, we lost the second period, but we then came out and had an outstanding third period.
“We took our chances on the powerplay and the fact that we scored five powerplay goals tonight speaks volumes for those guys.”
Max Birbraer gave Telford the lead after just 40 seconds on Sunday night, although Basingstoke hit back with two goals before the 11-minute mark.
A string of confrontations almost saw the game boil during the first period, as Nathan Salem equalised for The Tigers on 18 minutes.
In the second session, Telford slipped 5-3 behind, with Rick Plant’s 26th-minute strike the only high point of a disappointing period.
But after the break, a remarkable fightback from the hosts – thanks to goals from Joe Miller, Jonathan Weaver and Salem – secured the points.
Watkins added: “I said earlier in the month that January would be a tough time for us, so to win two difficult games this weekend was really pleasing.
“Every team is going to make it hard for us, so it is more about the results at the moment, rather than performances.”
On Saturday, meanwhile, a dramatic evening in Swindon saw The Tigers record their first success at the Link Centre this season.
Goals from Sam Zajac and Joe Miller gave The Tigers a healthy lead after just ten minutes, before a dramatic second period decided the fate of the game.
The hosts struck twice to level the scores at 2-2, only for captain Jason Silverthorn to snatch a crucial third Tigers goal on the verge of the 40 minutes.
Sam Zajac’s second goal of the night handed the visitors a 4-2 advantage just after the break, although Swindon closed with another goal on 58 minutes.
That set up a thrilling end to the game, with Max Bribraer scoring an empty net goal after the Wildcats pulled netminder Stevie Lyle.
“It all comes down to going out every night with a play-off mentality,” Watkins added.
“All the other teams will want to take a swipe at us, but if we keep chugging along, picking up points, it will be hard for them to catch us.
“You have to expect a hard night when you play teams like Swindon and they did that to us. They’ve got a lot of quality in their line-up.
“I was really pleased with our start and that 2-0 lead made all the difference.”
The Tigers return to action next weekend, with a trip to Guildford on Saturday night, before Sunday’s visit of bottom side Brackell Bees.
NIHL:
Jason Parry believes his Tigers NIHL side failed to “heed the warnings” during the early stages of Saturday 4-2 reverse at home to Sheffield Senators.
The defeat leaves both sides on 38 points in the battle for second place in the Laidler Conference, although Telford still have five games in hand.
Parry was unhappy at the manner of his side’s first loss since the middle of December, as he looks to rebuild a run that could yet see them secure the runners-up spot.
He said: “In some ways, we didn’t have the rub of the green early on. A guy who I thought should have been given a penalty for high sticks went on to score three goals.
“We fought back, and got ourselves into the game at 2-2. But in the last period, we just left ourselves too open at the back.
“I’m disappointed because I think the guys thought it was too easy and we didn’t heed the warnings. We should have made sure we were clear during the second period.
Image courtesy of Telford Tigers
“The positive is that we have played Sheffield four times this season and three of those games. They are a good team, so we should be proud of that.”
A 1-0 deficit at the end of the first period increased to 2-0 in the second session, before The Tigers found their scoring touch in a scrappy encounter.
Goals from Sean Weeks and Brad Betteridge closed the gap, but it was Sheffield who collected both points, as Telford failed to follow up that mid-game charge.
The Tigers NIHL now have an eight-day break from action, before travelling to face Deeside Dragons on January 25th.
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