“Points are the priority” – that’s the message from Tigers Head Coach Tom Watkins, following Saturday night’s hard-fought win over Milton Keynes Lightning.
A 2-1 victory at the Thunderdome took the county men two points closer to the English Premier League title, after second-placed Guildford’s late success at Peterborough.
But Telford found themselves restricted by a workmanlike performance from The Lightning, as the visitors struggled to assert their authority.
And with the two sides due to meet again at Telford Ice Rink on Sunday (5.30pm), Watkins was happy just to “grind out” another valuable win.
He said: “Milton Keynes worked hard tonight and made it very hard for us to find our feet, or get into a rhythm. At this stage of the season, though, points are the priority.
“If you don’t pick up points, you start to lose ground. Of course, the performance is important, but the biggest prize is the points. We had to grind out the win tonight, and we showed some good character.”
A slow start from The Tigers saw Milton Keynes end the first period on top, after taking the lead on seven minutes.
It wasn’t until the 26th minute that Telford opened their scoring, thanks to Nathan Salem.
That momentum resulted in a second Tigers goal, this time from Dan Davies, at the halfway point of the game.
The hosts almost drew level during a tense final session, even pulling their netminder in the dying moments.
But Telford clung on to record their ninth victory since the turn of the year.
Watkins added: “I think we can do better tomorrow night at home. We just need to be smarter in our plays, especially in key situations.
“I want us to play hard against them at home. We will have a bit more depth in our team, so that will help us a lot.”
Sunday night’s return game against Milton Keynes Lightning, at Telford Ice Rink, faces off at 5.30pm.