“This thing isn’t over” – that’s the defiant message from Tigers captain Jason Silverthorn, as he looks to get his side’s EPL championship bid back on track.
Telford’s hopes of retaining their title suffered a setback last weekend, following defeats to top-five sides Swindon Wildcats and Peterborough Phantoms.
Those losses mean the Shropshire men are now twelve points adrift of league leaders Basingstoke Bison, with just a quarter of the season left to play.
But Silverthorn, who must now prepare for games against Guildford Flames and Hull Pirates this weekend, believes a title challenge is still on the cards.
He said: “It is disheartening to lose two games against teams you’re trying to chase, especially over the same weekend. But you’ve still got to approach every game in the same way.
“This thing isn’t over until it’s done and the way the league has been this year, all the teams have been beating each other. There’s still hope we can claw our way back into it.
“We’re not so far off and we’re still right in the mix, as far as second, third, fourth and fifth goes. Hopefully, we can get on a really good run and challenge for first place as well.”
Victory in this weekend’s games would go some way towards regaining that lost ground, with Telford still having a game in hand over many of the leading sides.
“We have to keep playing our game and worry only about our business over the next few weeks,” Silverthorn added.
“We need to get back to playing simple, smart, hard, hockey. That’s what wins games. When we get away from that and try to do too much, things don’t work out for us,
“So the guys have to play the same way every night, no matter who we’re playing.”
The Tigers skipper has seen a shake-up in formation over recent weeks, with Macaulay Heywood joining him and Phil Hill on the first line of forwards.
That combination has begun to bear fruit, and Heywood in particular has shone in his new role.
Silverthorn added: “We’ve had a good start and scored a few goals. The important thing is that we contribute at both ends of the rink, and make ourselves hard to play against in all three zones.
“I’ve played with Hilly before in Cardiff and Macca is an up and coming talent. It’s a great learning process and we’re generating some good chemistry at the moment.”
Sunday’s game against Hull Pirates, at Telford Ice Rink, faces off at 6pm. For tickets, go to www.tigershockeyuk.com.
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