Telford Tigers come from behind to beat Romford Raiders

The Tigers came from 4-1 down to win 6-5 in Shropshire in their only game of the weekend - ending their three-match losing streak.  

Silverthorn, who was standing in for head coach Tom Watkins, who was away with the Great Britain under-20 team, gave his thoughts on the game. 

“That was a great character win," he said. "We showed loads of resilience and competed hard to come back from 4-1 down to tie the game. 

"Brad (Day) made some key saves in the second period to allow us time to get back in the game, and we capitalised on our chances. The whole team really dug deep during the third period and got a well-deserved two points.”

Prior to the game starting, Telford Tigers paid tribute to photographer Steve Brodie, who sadly passed away this week. A camera was placed at centre ice, and a minute’s silence was held by the crowd, which was impeccably observed.

The opening period was a tough one for the home crowd to watch as the visitors totally dominated. Telford were given a warning early in the game when Raiders’ Shaun Miller broke away unopposed but shot wide of the goal. The warning wasn’t heeded though, as with exactly five minutes on the clock, Miller scored to put Raiders ahead, and two minutes later, that lead was doubled by the same man. 

Brandon Ayliffe made it three for the visitors when his long-range effort beat Day. 

With the crowd stunned into silence, a penalty by James Smith gave Romford a chance to increase their lead. But despite Raiders having a man advantage, it would be Telford that scored whilst short-handed. Devon Skoleski broke away with the puck and sent a pass across goal to Adam Harding who scored.

Hopes of a Telford comeback were put on hold at the start of the second period as Ayliffe was left unmarked to fire home a pass from Miller for Romford’s fourth goal.

Telford pulled a goal back to make it 4-2 when Fin Howells found Scott McKenzie unmarked in the slot, allowing the Tigers’ captain to score.

A remarkable few seconds of action saw the Tigers score twice to level the game - Ferguson and Silverthorn getting the goals. 

Despite all the hard work from the home side, it was Romford who struck next with a power play goal from Jake Sylvester.

But Tigers' determination over the course of the match paid off when Ferguson sent a pass from behind the goal to Skoleski, whose shot went in to draw the sides level - yet again. 

A remarkable comeback was sealed with two minutes of the game to play.

A Skoleski pass hit a Raiders defender on the skates and landed perfectly for Harding to slam the puck into the net from close range and win the game. 

It was a much-needed two points for the Tigers.