Sheffield Steeldogs 4 Telford Tigers 8
Telford Tigers survived an early scare against Sheffield Steeldogs to snatch the initiative in the race for a top-four spot in the English Premier League on Saturday night.
An 8-4 win at Ice Sheffield means the Tigers are now sixth in the EPL standings, with several games in hand over those teams immediately ahead of them.
The Shropshire men host basement side Hull Pirates at Telford Ice Rink on Sunday evening (6pm), with all eyes on a second four-point weekend of the season.
Head coach Tom Watkins was buoyed by a stellar display of finishing from his side on Saturday, after they initially struggled to open a gap against the Steeldogs.
He said: "I think we knew it was going to be close early on and we were a little untidy defensively. Sam Gospel made a great save for their first goal, but they scored on the rebound.
"We were playing well and once we got our noses ahead, we got a bit of an edge and our fitness started to show. We showed some great finishing tonight and scored a couple of beauties."
Sheffield took the lead after just 38 seconds against The Tigers, before a goal from Joe Miller evened the score two minutes later.
Skipper Jason Silverthorn then handed Telford the lead on 14 minutes, but the hosts equalised with 16 minutes on the clock.
Silverthorn struck once more after three minutes of the second period, only for Sheffield to again peg them back moments later.
Goals from Peter Szabo and Rick Plant, either side of the 30-minute mark, proved crucial for Telford as they opened a 5-3 lead.
Sheffield again threatened a comeback to make it 5-4 after the interval, but Callum Bowley was on target to restore the visitors' cushion.
And late strikes from Miller and Silverthorn sealed two precious points for The Tigers.
Watkins added: "I felt we kept on opening the door for them in the first period, so it was important that we stayed ahead after the break.
"Jason Silverthorn had some great finishes and knocked the water bottle off the net with one. That took the pressure off the defence, although we could have been tidier at the back."
The Tigers' game against Hull Pirates, at Telford Ice Rink on Sunday night, faces off at 6pm. For tickets, go to www.tigershockeyuk.com
