Tom Watkins wants his Telford Tigers side to develop a “killer instinct” after another mixed weekend in the EPL.

Sunday’s dramatic 2-1 win over Swindon Wildcats – claimed after an overtime goal – means the Tigers lead the standings by a single point, after MK Lightning were defeated 5-1 by third-placed Hull Pirates.

That result followed an equally hard-fought encounter on Saturday night, when Telford lost 4-3 away to the Lightning – again in overtime.

With the Tigers having played the extra five-minute period four times so far this season, Watkins has called for his team to deliver an earlier finish to games.

He said: “We did a lot of good things on Sunday, but it would be nice to take teams out of the game and build a bit of a cushion, which we have to learn to do, and have that killer instinct.

“You’re never out of reach with guys like Hoog, Nell and Malasinski on the ice, and they showed it with that six on five right at the end. We were always mindful of their danger on the offense.

“It was really nice to get the points at home, especially after giving away that late goal.

“I was pretty calm after they scored right at the end, so it was just a case of getting the guys refocused and back on track.

“We used the bench a lot today, so we had some good legs and I felt we would have good energy in overtime.

“Just after their goal went in, I said let’s just go and win this in overtime. You have to deal with it – you can’t get frustrated, or lose your mind over it. That’s hockey.

“As long as the guys are being professional about it, they’ll come back out the next shift and work extremely hard again.”

(Image permission: Steve Brodie)