Telford Tigers face uphill cup battle after loss to Peterborough Phantoms
Telford Tigers are on the back foot in the EPL Cup semi-final, following a 4-2 defeat to Peterborough Phantoms in the first leg last night.
That result means Telford must win the return leg in Shropshire to stand any chance of progressing to next month's final.
The winners will play either Milton Keynes or Hull Pirates for the trophy.
The opening exchanges of the first period saw neither side take control, albeit with Tigers' Jon Baston the busier of the two net-minders.
Telford's first meaningful opportunity came at the halfway point of the period, as long-range shots from Sam Zajac and Doug Clarkson forced Janis Auzins into a double save.
But it was Peterborough who opened the scoring on 13 minutes.
The game burst into life during the second period, however, when Rick Plant scored Telford's first goal the night on 28 minutes.
And the Tigers took the lead just two minutes later, courtesy of Milan Kolena.
But the Phantoms equalised on 36 minutes and were the stronger side at the start of the third period. They were rewarded with their third goal of the night on 47 minutes.
And they rounded off the scoring with an empty net goal on the stroke of full-time.
Telford Tigers are back in action this weekend with two home games. First, they play Sheffield Steeldogs in the English Premier League, before the semi-final second leg against Peterborough.
