Telford Tigers’ Head Coach Tom Watkins singled out Dan Scott’s first period goal as a ‘game-changer’ in his side’s 4-1 victory over Guildford Flames on Sunday.

The Tigers put Saturday’s 6-0 loss at Hull Pirates behind them with a much-improved display in Surrey, maintaining their three-point cushion at the top of the EPL.

The home team went ahead after just five minutes, but Scott’s goal late in the first session gave them crucial momentum.

Watkins said: “Dan’s goal at the end of the first period was phenomenal and it changed the whole night for us.

“It gave the guys momentum, as we had started quite slowly again and Guildford were probably the better side until then.

“We got much better as the game went on and it was a great disciplined display. We took our chances and scored a goal on the powerplay, which was important.

“It was a big performance from the guys, especially those in defence.”

Saturday’s visit to Hull had seen the Tigers ripped to shreds by the rampant hosts, with the Pirates never looking likely to surrender the points.

Watkins admitted he was disappointed with how the home team were allowed to dominate the game, but praised his team for their recovery in Guildford.

“You can’t give up about twelve odd-man rushes in a game and expect to win,” Watkins added.

“Normally we restrict that to three. We were forcing a lot of pucks and we got beat out of their zone quite quickly.

“Pucks went past forwards, we made bad changes on our back checks and gave up the house on the first goal. You just can’t do that.

“I would have liked to see us be a lot chippier. A team played physical and aggressive with us, and we didn’t get to grips with that.”

“It was important for us to bounce back after that and we went to Guildford with a good buzz. As a group, we weren’t hanging onto that game in Hull.

“Guildford is a tough place to play, so to take two points is big for us and gets us back into it.”

(Image permission: Steve Brodie)