Tigers coach Tom Watkins hailed a “solid” game from his men as they returned to winning ways with a 5-4 win over Sheffield Steeldogs at Telford Ice Rink on Sunday night.
Victory over the Yorkshire outfit restored the Tigers’ six-point lead at the top of the English Premier League, following Saturday’s 6-2 loss to Basingstoke Bison.
And with his line-up shortened by a rash of midweek departures and injuries, Watkins was happy to see them survive a second period fightback from the Steeldogs.
He said: “As a team, I thought we played pretty solid tonight. Doug Clarkson scored a great hat-trick and he’s got a shot that he gets off really quickly. That makes it hard for goalies to see.
“Jason Silverthorn scored with a great shot and then got another just by battling for the puck in front of the net. I thought we started both periods really well and that helped us.”
Sunday night’s game saw the hosts take an early lead, with Clarkson scoring after just two minutes of the first period.
Silverthorn extended that advantage six minutes later, as Telford made the most of some heavy early possession.
Sheffield, however, hit back at the halfway point of the session, although Silverthorn was on target once again just before the interval.
The second period started in a similar fashion, with Clarkson scoring his second of the night on 24 minutes.
But the Steeldogs threatened to stage a comeback, with two goals within seconds of each other on the 35-minute mark.
And Sheffield drew level with their fourth goal of the night just moments later.
Those strikes looked to have put Telford on the back foot, although they were thankful to Clarkson for regaining the lead on the stroke of the period break.
That hat-trick goal meant the Tigers continued their unbeaten start to the season at home, with neither side scoring in a manic final period.
Watkins added: “Sheffield lived on scraps for large parts of the game and I was obviously disappointed to give up those goals in the second period.
“That made for a nailbiting end to the game.
“I thought Joe Aston played well tonight and he was solid against Manchester last week.
“He’s a good kid who listens and is always learning. The one thing these young guys need is consistency and to play well defensively.
“Joe has got a good skill set, so he’s got a good chance.”
The Tigers are back in action on Wednesday night, when they travel to face the Steeldogs at Ice Sheffield.
They then make the trip to Swindon on Saturday, before the visit of Guildford Flames to Telford Ice Rink on Sunday (6pm).
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