The Tigers NIHL secured second place in the Laidler Conference with a 15-1 demolition of basement side Bradford Bulldogs at Telford Ice Rink.
And it was a double celebration for the county men, as youngster James Smith scored his 100th point of the season with a remarkable twelve-point haul.
Sunday night’s win – and Saturday’s 8-0 win over Hull Jets – means Telford are now certain of the runners-up spot behind runaway leaders Solihull Barons.
Assistant Coach Jason Parry believes finishing second place in the league is a huge achievement for his young side.
He said: “Second place, for us, feels like winning the league. Solihull, who have won it, shouldn’t really be playing at this level. They have got a lot of former EPL players, and we have run them close this year, which was great to see. Finishing where we have is a superb achievement for this side.
“We set our target after losing to Sheffield and knew that if we won our next eight games, we would probably finish second. We did that and it feels really good.
“Smithy scored twelve points and was outstanding. He’s now got over 100 points for the season, which is unbelievable.”
Smith was top scorer on Sunday with five goals, followed by Karol Jets (4), Brad Betteridge (3), Conor Gordon, Callum Griffin and James Callagher.
Parry added: “It is the hockey that the guys are playing which is really pleasing. It’s great to see things from training coming out naturally in games. There are still things to learn, of course, but they are a young bunch of lads”
On Saturday evening, meanwhile, Telford beat Hull Jets 8-0 at Telford Ice Rink.
The victory saw Telford collect a points bonanza, with Hull having elected to play just one away game in Shropshire this season.
Parry said: “These guys are learning every week. We are a young team and when we played them last time, I said it was a learning curve. We showed tonight that it isn’t just a saying.
“It is really pleasing, because last time we played them we went ahead by a similar scoreline. That time, we let them back in and drew 4-4, but tonight we kept our foot on the gas.”
First period goals from Joe Aston and Karol Jets gave Telford a useful cushion at the break, before further strikes from Aston and Jets in the second session.
Jets completed his hat-trick at the midway point of the third period, before James Smith sealed victory with three goals in just five minutes.
Parry added: “Hull were dangerous in places and they’ve got some very good players. Their netminder had a great game, keeping out the league’s top scorer for much of the night.
“James Smith did score later on, but he was frustrated for a long time. Karol Jets picked up the slack early in the match and showed some real quality.”
The Tigers NIHL return to action next weekend, when they face champions Solihull Barons at Telford Ice Rink on Saturday (5.30pm).
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