Telford Tigers suffer play-off heartbreak

Tigers held a 3-2 lead from the first leg in Shropshire but lost 3-2 in the return, meaning the game went to to sudden death overtime.

And 42 seconds into the extra period Sheffield scored to win the tie and send Tigers crashing out.

Scott McKenzie netted early on and things looked good for Tigers when Jack Watkins put them 2-1 ahead five minutes into the third period. But, as was the case in the first leg, Sheffield struck twice late on.

Joe Hazeldine returned to the line-up after missing the last three games and was joined by Dan Mitchell, Henry Adams, Fin Howells and back-up netminder Ryan Lewis from the under-18 team.

The game would be the last of the season for the loser of the tie, with the winner going on to the northern final next weekend and also gaining a guaranteed place in the NIHL Final Four competition in Coventry later this month.

A scrappy first period saw few clear-cut chances. Both teams knew the importance of the opening goal and it would be Tigers who scored it, six minutes in.

Adam Taylor led a breakaway and found Andy McKinney behind the goal who passed for the onrushing McKenzie to hit a wrist shot which hit Dimitri Zimozdra and went through him into the goal.

Initially the goal was not given but referee Emmerson consulted that goal judge and then awarded the goal.

The closest Sheffield came to scoring was when Milan Kolena hit a shot straight at Tom Hovell from a tight angle and the puck was cleared from the goal crease by McKenzie.

Tigers ended the period on the attack with Ricky Plant’s goalbound shot deflected away by a Sheffield defender’s skate.

The second period was similar to the first with few clear-cut chances. Hazeldine weaved his way through the Sheffield defence and created space but his shot went through the goal crease from a tight angle.

Kolena then went close for Sheffield with a shot from behind the goal that almost banked off Hovell into the goal.

As the period entered the final three minutes, Sheffield applied considerable pressure that finally paid off.

Hovell left his net to play the puck behind his goal but his clearance went straight to James Spurr on the boards and he sent a first-time shot back towards goal, with the puck hitting Hovell and going in.

Tigers made the perfect start to the third period with a second goal to give them a two-goal cushion on aggregate.

Sheffield’s attempt to clear the puck failed as it deflected into the path of Watkins, who skated in on goal and hammered low past Zimozdra.

Tigers failed to hold the lead as Sheffield equalised four minutes later through Duncan Speirs.

Just two minutes later, Kolena scored with a shot from in the corner of the Tigers’ defensive zone, adjacent to the goal line, which caught Hovell by surprise.

Sespite some late Sheffield pressure, the two teams could not score a further goal sending the game to sudden death overtime.

The team that scored would win and progress to the final and it was Sheffield who got it, Spurr scoring his second of the game just 40 seconds into the extra period with a powerful slap shot that gave Hovell no chance.

Coach Tom Watkins said: “Congratulations to Sheffield and good luck to them the rest of the way.

"I’m gutted as we didn’t want the season to end and certainly didn’t expect it. I really thought we played a good game, playing with a lot of commitment and heart.

"We managed Sheffield's heavy forecheck well, getting to pucks first, making good decisions and creating good support to exit the zone. I felt as a team we defended very well inside the dots and limited them to quality chances.”