Tigers chief Tom Watkins has ruled out making wholesale changes ahead of this weekend’s games against Milton Keynes Lightning and Peterborough Phantoms.
Telford have lose twice at home so far this season, with last weekend seeing them go down 4-1 to Basingstoke Bison – likely to be their chief rivals for the EPL title.
But with The Tigers having enjoyed heavy road wins over Sheffield and Hull, Watkins believes his players are capable of turning around their current run of home form.
He said: “You expect to lose some games during a season, as you’ll never go through the year unbeaten. But it is how you bounce back that matters.
“We have been able to watch some video of the games this week, and use that to our advantage. I expect the guys to be firing and at their best this weekend.
“We’ve got a team of very good players, but we made a few mistakes. We have dominated both of those home games, but putting the puck in the net is often the hardest part.”
The summer break saw Telford make few changes to their line-up – unlike many teams in the EPL – and Watkins expects that policy to start paying dividends over coming weeks.
He added: “We’ve got a good set-up here, and the guys are playing well together. We dominated last weekend, so there won’t be any changes. We just need to be better at the end product.”
Saturday’s trip to Milton Keynes is a chance for Telford to take on a side that many expect to be vying for honours at the end of the season.
Sunday, meanwhile, will see Telford host a Phantoms outfit that beat them at the Coventry play-off finals in April – ending the club’s dream of a historic triple crown.
“Peterborough finished the season strongly last year, at our expense, and I am sure there will be no lack of respect for either team this weekend.
“Milton Keynes are a little bit of an unknown quantity. They’ve made a few changes over the summer, and of course have Pete Russell as coach.
“They’ll be organised and perhaps have a bit more punch than last season. Peterborough will play to their strengths and counter-attack very well.”
Sunday’s game at home to Peterborough Phantoms, at Telford Ice Rink, faces off at 6pm. For tickets, go to www.tigershockeyuk.com.
NIHL:
“You can’t switch off at this level, even for a minute” – that’s the call from Tigers NIHL coach Jason Parry, ahead of this weekend’s games against Solway Sharks and Whitley Warriors.
Saturday evening sees Parry’s men host highly-rated Solway at Telford Ice Rink (5.30pm), before they make the long journey to face Whitley on Sunday.
Both opponents are likely to be pushing for Moralee Conference honours this season, as they look to topple last year’s runaway champions, Blackburn Hawks.
And Parry is looking forward to watching his squad take on two of the league’s top sides.
He said: “You have to play for 60 minutes at this level, as every team is capable of beating any other on their night. It is like the EPL in that respect.
“That was the case when we played Blackburn, when we went three goals down within a few minutes. We had a good go after that, but it is so hard to get back into games.
“You can’t switch off in this league, even for a minute. Last season, we did that a couple of times and could get it back, but you can’t do it now.”
Saturday’s visit of Solway will see the return of former Tigers favourite, Juraj Senko. The Dumfries side also features top import Martin Cingle – and they pose a particular offensive threat.
Parry added: “In many ways, we will concentrate on Saturday’s game, then look at Sunday after that. The key thing is to concentrate on what we do best.
“We started well against Whitley last weekend and killed two penalties at the start. That is something we have to keep up throughout the game.
“Solway have always had a good team, especially now with Senko and Martin Cingle. He scored five goals last weekend and is very dangerous.”
Sunday’s trip to Whitley, meanwhile, is likely to be another tough encounter for the Shropshire men.
“The guys are all up for the challenge and looking forward to it,” Parry said.
“It is a tough place to play, but they’ve all been there as juniors, so they know what it is about. The target is to definitely finish the weekend with two wins.”
Saturday’s game against Solway Sharks, at Telford Ice Rink, faces off at 5.30pm.
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