Telford Tigers eased past Manchester Phoenix with a 7-2 win on Saturday night, increasing pressure on the leading teams in the English Premier League.
Victory at Telford Ice Rink means the Tigers can still mount a late challenge for a top-four spot, after title-chasing Peterborough lost to mid-table Swindon.
That result makes Sunday’s encounter with the Phantoms at Bretton Road a mouth-watering prospect, as Telford look to make the most of their two games in hand.
Tigers head coach Tom Watkins singled out forward Phil Hill for praise on Saturday, after he shook off a head injury suffered in training to bag a brace against the Phoenix.
Watkins said: “The guys got the job done tonight and it was a good character performance. Phil Hill deserves a round of applause for the way he played.
“He suffered a heavy shot to the head on Thursday night and I wasn’t planning on him playing for a few weeks. It was nasty injury, but he came in tonight with some real character.
“Phil showed he’s a real team guy and that is something all players need to take heed of. It was an exceptional performance from him.”
A packed Telford Ice Rink had to wait until the 15th minute for the first Tigers goal, as Manchester netminder Stephen Fone held back an early onslaught from Watkins’ men.
Hill opened the scoring for Telford with that first period strike, before Dan Davies added a second goal on the stroke of 20 minutes.
Andrei Makrov extended the Tigers’ lead with a powerplay goal just after the restart, before Max Birbrear scored at the halfway point of the game.
Manchester opened their account on 35 minutes, and closed the gap to 4-2 with a second goal at the start of the final session.
But Telford stamped their authority on proceedings in the final 14 minutes, thanks a second strike from Hill and two more from Makrov – giving the Estonian his first hat-trick in Shropshire.
Watkins added: “The result was of course very important tonight and I thought we dominated the game for the first two periods. We controlled possession and didn’t give much away.
“I was pleased to see our powerplay line score three goals, with Andrei getting his hat-trick and Sammi sliding the puck across for those one-timers.
“I was disappointed that we started the third period with just a two-goal cushion though, and I gave it to the boys a bit in the first three or four minutes after the break.
“We missed three really good chances and against some teams that sort of thing can come back to haunt you.”
Sunday night’s game in Peterborough faces off at 5.30pm.
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