Phoenix v Telford Tigers 27th February Game review

The Phoenix had a Tigers weekend saturday and sunday, saturday seeing the team and fans head south to Shropshire for the first game of the weekend. Before welcoming the Tigers back to Altrincham sunday for the last game in the series between the two clubs. Prior to the weekend the Phoenix had a perfect record against the Tigers, however of the four games played,I would argue the Phoenix only played their best hockey in two of them.

So saturday the Phoenix and their merry bunch of fans headed off to Telford for another contest, one that would prove to be another close game! In fact the Tigers took the lead after just 55seconds, but Kristoffersson would break Tigers hearts scoring with 1min 46sec to go, and added an empty netter to seal a 4-2 victory for the Phoenix .



Sunday saw the Tigers come to the Ice Dome for the last time this season, bringing with them a healthy contingent of fans. The Tigers were still without two imports and the Phoenix still missing Harabin. As far as I understand it Harabin is seeing a specialist and hopes to be back on the ice as soon as possible!

First Period: The Phoenix started brightly in the game and were quick to exert pressure on the Tigers, for the majority of the period the puck stayed in the opposition end, the Telford goalie on fine form keeping his team in the game! When ever the Phoenix and Tigers have played each other the goaltending has single handedly kept them in the game. The same goes for sunday night, the Phoenix could have easily been 4 or 5 goals to the good had it not been for some wonderful saves. The Phoenix did finally break through after 10min 17sec when the Phoenix broke quickly up ice and Kristoffersson slotted home a shorthanded goal. Kristoffersson got his second of the game on the powerplay this time after 18min 16sec. The period ran out and many inside the Dome headed off for the break in good spirits. The Phoenix dominating the game so far.

Second Period: The theme continued in the second, the Tigers battling hard but the Phoenix coping and keeping the puck in the Tigers zone. First goal of the period came for Stephen Wallace just 1min 08sec into the second session. Wallace, like Kristoffersson, would score his second at 24min 41sec making the score 4-0 Phoenix. The Phoenix made it 5-0 through Curtis Huppe after 27min 04sec. This signalled a goalie change for the Phoenix and Summerfield came in for Fone. Personally I thought this was a big mistake. Putting our back up nettie in for over half the game, against a Tigers team that was more than capable of pushing the Phoenix to the limit. So it proved to be, through a combination of the Tigers sensing backup nettie blood, the Phoenix switching off completely thinking job done, and a few goals Summerfield would want back, the Tigers raced right back into the game. Their first came at 31min 40sec through NacKriel, number two came less than two minutes later through number 16, timed 33min 17sec. Player coach Tom Watkins got their second at 36min 26sec. You could feel the tension/anxiety in the air, Phoenix fans not quite sure what was happening. Worrying their team was coming close to throwing away what was a comfortable game! Many home fans in the Dome would have been glad to hear the buzzer go, now only hoping Tony would read the riot act and put Foney back in goal.

Third Period: With Fone back between the pipes the Phoenix set about securing the game. What ever Tony said in the locker room during the interval seemed to work! The Phoenix were back to dominating possession and frustrating the Tigers. Only one more goal was to follow and it was Kristoffersson who grabbed his hattrick at 44min 09sec with a real peach of a goal. That was it for scoring, the Phoenix third line got a good run out and Miller and Sharp were on the end of some good chances only to be denied by the Tigers goalie. Final score 6-3 Phoenix.

Verdict: Phew, a win that the Phoenix almost threw away! Overall it was a good performance and a comfortable game for the Phoenix, for 50mins of the 60!! I have no problem with playing your back up netminder, and 5-0 up looking comfortable against the Tigers why not. But I would never have played him as early as Tony did. With over half the game there was still time for the Tigers to fight back. Like I said above im not laying the blame fully at Summerfield's door, it is a team game after all. It seemed like the Phoenix shut off completely and allowed the Tigers back in. We know from experience how close the Tigers have come to turning us over, they cannot be taken lightly. Putting all that aside it was pleasing to see the Phoenix comfortable on the puck and dominating an opposition once again. Hopefully this form can be continued through to the end of the season!

Attendance: With a good away following and a couple of groups in the Ice Dome, I would have guessed around 900-1,000 in the Ice Dome

Phoenix TV:

Manchester Phoenix TV 02/03/11 from Manchester Phoenix TV on Vimeo.

Phoenix 6 Telford 3 - Phoenix Article
Phoenix 6 Telford 3 - CB Sport Article
Phoenix 6 Telford 3 - Tigers Article

Telford Tigers Holiday Review

Having finally caught up with the game reviews for the Phoenix games over the festive period, now is a good time to turn and take a look at the Telford Tigers action over christmas and new year. Fair to say, its been one hell of a rollercoaster period for the lads from Shropshire! In the space of 16 dayes, they had lost a game to snow, lost their player coach for five games, sadly not gained a point, released one player, lost another to retirement and regained the released player. So a period of madness for the Tigers, hopefully 2011 will bring a more settled look to the lineup and with Tom Watkins back in the line up, a push for the playoffs!

18th Dec Tigers @ Swindon - called off due snow. Amongst the many games of many sports called off due to the bad snow the Tigers away game to Swindon fell victim. A shame this as, with their upturn in form the Tigers would have fancied the trip down the M5 to the link centre. This would have been a winable game for the Tigers, but in a way could be a blessing, as the Tigers would have been without Tom Watkins for the game. The Tigers should be back at full strength for the re-scheduled game.

19th Dec Tigers v Flames - 3-5 Loss. A tough loss to take at home to the Flames. The Tigers are a difficult team to beat on home ice and made life hard for the Flames. Sadly it seems the short bench took it's toll and Guildford's extra class just saw them come away with the two points.





Shropshire Star - Telford 3 Guildford 5
Shropshire Star - Telford 3 Guidlford 5

29th Dec Tigers @ Phantoms - 6-1 Loss. This loss would be difficult for the Tigers, especially as the Phantoms are catcheable for the Tigers. Frustrations getting the better of one Tigers player who kicked open a fire door which ended the game prematurely. The scoreline would make you think the Tigers had a but of a mare in this one, but best forget this result and move on.

Shropshire Star - Peterborough 6 Telford 1
Shropshire Star - Peterborough/Telford

2nd Jan Tigers @ Steeldogs - 6-1 Loss. A return to south yorkshire and a return to the scene of Tom Watkins ejection and subsequent 5 match ban. It was at the previous Steeldog's/Tigers game Watkins was ejected for abuse of official. His loss and a combined team fail lead to a pretty emphatic win for the Steeldogs. A valuable two points lost to a playoff chasing rival. As mentioned in previous posts, its series against the likes of the Steedogs the Tigers must win if they want to progress into the post season.

3rd Jan Tigers v Phoenix - 7-8 Loss. Tigers didnt deserve to loose this game, my thoughts on it can be found in this post made yesterday. So far, the two worst performances by the Phoenix have come against the Tigers, dont know why!

Telford 7 Phoenix 8 - Telford Tigers

Away from all the game's It's been a topsy turvy time for the Tigers, first Andres Maslovskis leaves, then Marek Hornak retires, The Tigers have to come to terms with this and finally: Andres Maslovskis returns.

So, a nice quiet period over christmas and new year for the Tigers all in all!

Telford Tigers Weekend 11/12th December

So last weekend was a northern road trip for the Tigers, taking in two away games against the Sheffield Steeldogs and the Manchester Phoenix. This would be a testing weekend for the Tigers as they were up against their rivals in the league in Sheffield. Plus this would be a Steeldog's team bolstered by the big Canadian Andre Payette. Payette has proved he can play some hockey, as he did for the Phoenix last season. But he has also proved he can look after and mentor the young Brits on the squad, and, in Sheffield young British talent is something they have in abundance. Then the Tigers would come to Altrincham to play the Phoenix. Last time the two sides met in Altrincham the Tigers took it to penalty shots. This was after the Phoenix massively underestimated them. Would it happen a second time, or would the real Phoenix turn up?

Saturday, south Yorkshire, the Tigers arrived at Ice Sheffield for a big game. As I have mentioned in many a previous post, if the Tigers have real playoff aspirations these are the games they need to be winning. The Tigers task has been made tougher as they have lost a number of guys to GB duty. Including the influential Ashley Calvert. This is the guy who has come into the squad recently and lit up the score sheets. The Tigers made a promising start but, as in many sports, a missed penalty shot swung momentum. The Steeldogs had forced a 3-2 lead by the time Maslovski's had the one-on-one chance. He missed, and the momentum stayed with the Steeldogs. In the closing moments it appears cool heads were not kept on the Tigers bench, coach Tom Watkins earning himself a game misconduct penalty. Being a goal down, without their coach, and on the penalty kill, the Steeldogs were able to keep their lead and even score an empty net goal. Steeldosg taking the two points with a 6-4 victory.

Minus their GB internationals, and now minus their influential player coach, a severely depleted Tigers squad arrived in Altrincham hoping to repeat their penalty shot heroics of last time. One thing you can guarantee with the Tigers, is they will work hard for the full 60 minutes and not let their heads drop. However with the shortened bench, and the Phoenix not taking them lightly this time, it was really only a matter of time before the Phoenix started scoring and shutting the game down. With the Phoenix going 5-1 up after the first period the result was a given, it would be down to how long the Tigers could keep going, and how much Tony asked the team to ease up. In the end the Phoenix won 9-2, not a surprising result given all the factors considered. Another mention for Andrew Sharp who continued his point scoring streak with another goal sunday night. It was going to be a tough game for the Tigers but, even with a full strength side I still think the Phoenix would have won.

A tough weekend for the Tigers, and no points gained, so chalk this one off and move forward. Hopefully the GB lad's will be back and with Tom Watkins back on the ice the Tigers should be back to winning way's soon. Another big weekend for the Tigers. They have an away game to the Swindon Wildcats and a home game versus the Guildford Flames!

The Tigers currently hold a 2-1 series lead against the Wildcats, however the game they lost, was the last away trip to the link center. It is still a winnable game for the Tigers but they must keep their heads up and get a few early goals in. In their series against the Flames the Tigers are 2-1 down. However the Tigers have a win and an overtime point from the Flames, so back on their own ice, this is also a winnable game! Looking at the extremes, this coming weekend really could be an all or nothing weekend for the Tigers!

Tigers Weekend Report

Telford Tigers Weekend 4/5th December

I think last time I posted about the Tigers I said their saturday game against Bracknell was an ideal opportunity for the Tigers to pick up some points, then the sunday game against the Bison would be a bit more difficult! I was nearly right!

Sadly it seemed a sickness bug would knock the stuffing out of the Tigers and prevent them paying at their best, and at a level that had brought some much needed pointage! The saturday game against the Bee's in Bracknell would still be their best opportunity for picking up a win. Despite their illness the Tigers still managed to get 2-0 by the third period. But, as I have mentioned in posts about the Phoenix playing the Bees, the Bees still have the quality to score. Saturday night was no exception, in the space of two minutes the Bees had levelled the game, sending it to OT. No further goals were scored sending the game to the penalty shootout lottery. It would be heartbreak for the Tigers again, as the Bees won the shootout for the extra point. Still a valuable point gained on the road!

Against the Bison the Tigers played hard and despite conceding the only goal of the first period, came back to tie the game in the second. The second period would see the Bison really shift through the gears and the Tigers ill health take it's toll. By the end of the session the Bison had raced to a 4-1 lead. The game finished 6-3 to the Bison, so no giant killing last sunday at the Telford Ice Rink. But given the Tigers went into the weekend not firing on all cylinders the Tigers could have been on the end of a much worse scoreline. Though I doubt many Tigers fans will agree, they would have seen that home game as a potential win.

Cant have a game without some controversy:




The Tigers now embark on a tough 3 game road trip against the Steeldog's, my Phoenix and the Wildcats. The first and last of those I see as potential win's for the Tigers. I know the Phoenix will not underestimate them like they did for the Tigers first visit to Altrincham!

Telford Tigers Weekend 27/28th November

If you remember from my Tigers weekend post of last week, the Tigers had a difficult pair of games against the league leading Guildford Flames. A pair of games that you would think should be a 4 pointer for the Flames. Most Tigers, and Phoenix fan's will know, the recent version of the Tigers is a much different team now. One that is much more difficult to breakdown and a hard working bunch.

Saturday night saw the Flames travel to Telford for a game, I thought, would offer the Tigers the best chance of getting some points over the weekend. In fact the Tigers made just the start they needed scoring after just 35seconds! That early goal can help to unsettle the away team and introduce some doubt in their minds. Unfortunately it didn't look like the Flames would get unsettled racing to a 3-1 lead. Game over you would have thought? The Tigers kept it close and coach Tom Watkins closed the game to within one at the 58min 12sec mark, squeaky bum time! As many a hockey fan will know, one goal needed, less than two minutes to go, the game will go one of two ways. A game tieing goal and the home rink erupts, or heartbreak! Sadly for the Tigers it was the latter, but both the team and fans can be proud they pushed the Flames all the way and gave them a fright and a half!

All back to Guildford sunday then! Re-match time! The previous nights game will have given the Tigers such a boost and reminded the Flames they are no pushovers. It sounds like another close games was had between the two sides. Trading goals the Tigers pushed the Flames all the way, in fact leading the game until the last few minutes. A point secured! But the Tigers wanted more, after pushing the Phoenix all the way to OT/Penalties and loosing, this time they wanted both points! Up stepped Tom Watkins again to score the vital goal 3 minutes into the overtime period, securing the win for the Tigers. Along the way the Tigers are gaining fan's, I know many fellow Phoenix fan's love what the Tigers are showing, and judging by comments on THF, Guildford fans are the same.

Im sure some fans are happy with 2 points from a weekend pair of games against the Flames, but im sure most will think......it could have been 3 or 4 points! Being so close to getting the home win as well! A pair of games to be proud of for me! Let's hope the form continues, except for when the Tigers meet the Phoenix of course!

Tigers v Flames Weekend double header.

Game Winning Goal:




Next up for the Tigers is an away game to the Bees and a home game to the Bison. The Bracknell game is winnable for the Tigers and one they should if they want a playoff spot. The Bison will be a tougher nut to crack, they work very hard, are skillful and physical. Much luck to Telford this weekend then!

Phoenix v Telford Tigers 7th November Game Review

The Phoenix had secured a win in Bracknell saturday night, so it was back to Altrincham to entertain the Telford Tigers. A large group, of say 30 Telford fans made the trip north, the home fans expecting a win and another 4 point weekend would be surprised, the puck dropped 15minutes late and battle commenced. Adam Summerfield started the game in-between the pipes for the Phoenix.

First Period: The game began at the usual fast pace we have come to expect in the Ice Dome, however tonight, something was different. This Tigers team was a completely different....err.....animal! They prevented the Phoenix settling into their usual rhythm and kept the shooting lanes close forcing the Phoenix to play down the boards. While Adam Summerfield was turning all shots away, so was the excellent Declan Ryan in the Tigers net. As the period progressed, nerves crept into the crowd as the home fans became frustrated and worried no goals had been scored. Despite pressurizing throughout the period the Phoenix just could not score, not helped by their poor performance.

Second Period: The second 20mins began much like the first! The Phoenix would have long spells of pressure, coming up against Ryan standing on his head, while Telford had the odd breakaway to worry the Phoenix fans. Even so the first goal of the game did come in the second period, Curtis Huppe scoring after 26min 21sec on a 4 on 4 situation. The sense of relief around the Dome was huge, so imagine the disappointment when Telford equilised just 41seconds later! Again on a 4 on 4 situation Andy McKinney came back and scored the Tigers first, sending the away fans delirious with joy. The Phoenix would go into the break ahead, however, when Ben Morgan scored a superb solo effort on the powerplay at 28min 11sec. The Phoenix finally clicked and started to accelerate, Marcus Kristoffersson would finally get his goal on the powerplay after 30min 48sec. The Phoenix would make it 4-1 after 38min 13sec when Ladislav Harabin got his rewards for some excellent work scoring even handed after 38min 13sec. Just to make sure Phoenix fans could not settle for the final period the Tigers would score 40sec later when Tom Watkins lead by example to score. The latter 10mins of the period were a much improved performance from the Phoenix, hopefully this would continue in the third!

Third Period: The third carried on when the second left off, with the Phoenix peppering Ryan in the Telford net, and yet, much like the rest of the game, finding him a more than equal opponent. Then with 5mins to go things started to go wrong for the Phoenix. With how poorly the Phoenix were playing, we should have seen this coming. While shorthanded the excellent Marek Hornak raced up the ice, on his second breakout attempt and scored, 4-3 after 55min 45sec. In to the final two minutes the Tigers call a time out, the home fans expecting their team to hang on for the win, the Tigers fans sensing OT and a point at least. In a proper movie style ending the Tigers would tie the game at 58min 48sec through Scott McKenzie. The last 78sec saw the Phoenix try and pressure for the win, but in the end the Tigers deserved to force the game into OT.

Overtime: In the story of the game the Phoenix piled on the pressure, creating great chances, but the Phoenix forwards just unable to score. The crowd were really on edge as penalty shots approached, as either team could take the extra point irrespective of who deserved the win over the previous 65mins.

Penalty Shots: The Phoenix decided to put Steve Fone in for the shootout, which created some interesting comments on the Phoenix forum, more on that later. The game went down to the shootout, and at least three rounds of penalty shots before the Phoenix emerged winners and claimed the extra point. My only stand out memory was Stephen Wallace, he scored two very nice penalty shots.

Verdict: Some have argued that selecting your back up netminder, showed a) disrespect to your opponent and b) you underestimating your opponent. Personally, you have two goalies at your disposal so have every right to start who you want! Adam once again showed he is a very capable keeper, and is showing more confidence out on the ice. As for underestimating the opposition, I think the Phoenix did that massively. I think we had the mindset that we had won the game before we even got on the ice. Also this Telford team is defiantly not the one sitting at the foot of the table, they worked hard, created chances, disrupted the Phoenix play, and fully deserved their point. Tony must now work to ensure this doesn't happen again, the Phoenix came very close to a Romford type result from last season. No team can be treated lightly! I have to give credit to the Tigers, they played well, but the Phoenix also missed a hell uva lot of chances. Realistically if our shooting boots were sharp we could have been out of sight after the first period. But a combination of excellent goal keeping and sloppy play in front of net made the game harder than it should! There has also been alot of comment on the Phoenix changing to Fone for the start of the penalty shootout, mainly on the Phoenix forum. My take is, Tony made the right choice! Summers has said himself that Fone is better at the penalty shoot out than him, plus Fone is the more experienced keeper. There is no disrespect to Adam, he will get there but he is not an experienced starting keeper. The Phoenix are in this game to win, so why not play your best keeper in that situation?

Anyway the Phoenix got the win, I do not think the Phoenix will take Telford lightly again! It wasn't a pretty win, but as everyone always says about championship winning teams, they are able to grind out the ugly wins!

Attendance: I'd say around 1,000 in the Dome, helped by one of the biggest away turn outs seen at the Dome this season!

Phoenix 5 Telford 4 - Phoenix Article
Phoenix 5 Telford 4 - CB Sport Article

Telford Tigers weekend 31st October

Just the one game for the Tigers last weekend, following on from the tough loss to the Phoenix, the Tigers had the not so difficult task of overcoming the MK Lightning at Telford Ice Rink. Preparations for the game were not helped by the Tigers loosing Andrejs Maslovskis to an eye infection, Ash Stanton still out injured and the release of Chris Allen, left the Tigers with just five defense men and eight forwards. MK are a fast and skillful team, so not an opposition you want to be short benched against! Even so the Tigers have the determination to overcome such problems, and it would need them to be at their absolute best to get something out of the game.

Sadly the Lightning ran our 6-2 winners, the Tigers were just not able to pressure the Lightning all over the ice, the short bench will have taken its toll too! The task made harder when Joe Henry picked up a niggle during the second period. Opinion's from the fan's seem, mostly, to agree it was a hard working performance, but just came up against a well organised and settled MK Lightning. I certainly agree with 'shrek' the Tigers need to be looking to games against the Steeldogs/Bees and Wildcats to be picking up the points on a regular basis. I do think they have the squad to upset some of the bigger clubs too!

This weekend see's the Tigers host the Peterborough Phantoms at Telford Ice Rink saturday night, this is a winnable game, but the Tigers need to get bodies back to full health and concentrate on ironing out any mistakes and pressurising the full ice for the full 60 minutes. The Tigers then travel to Altrincham for their fist away game against the Manchester Phoenix. Most would not see much other than a Phoenix win in this game, myself included, but you never know! The Phoenix do make mistakes!

For those Tiger fan's making the trip up to Altrincham why not join us on the Phoenix podcast and talk a load of rubbish like we do!

Shropshire Star Highlights:


Tigers 2 - Milton Keynes 6 - Tigers Article

Telford Tigers weekend 23/24th October

Sorry for the late post this week, ive been a little way laid with things but anyway here is a quick re-cap of the tough weekend the Tigers faced last saturday/sunday.
As weekends go for the Tigers, it was their toughest of the season so far, and you could argue, the toughest they are going to get. An away game to the current league champions and then the first visit of the current league leaders to the Telford Ice Rink.

The game away to MK was always going to be tough, and having a goal washed out in the first period player coach Tom Watkins could be forgiven for thinking it was not going to be the Tigers night. The Lightning then took a 2-0 lead which would be tough for the Tigers to overturn. Despite big Chris Allen scoring halfway through the game the Lightning would close out the win with a goal and an empty netter to seal a 4-1 win.

Then on to the big game of the weekend, a home game against the Phoenix on sunday. All week the build up was electric, the first visit of the Phoenix to Telford and a big crowd expected. Early estimates of 100 Phoenix fans proved way to conservative, in fact 200 Phoenix fans made the trip filling just about a third of the balcony. With more Tiger fans turning out too I wouldn't have been surprised if the balcony was only a couple of seats short of a sell out! It was a great atmosphere in Telford that night and very pleasing to see lots of interaction between both sets of supporters. There seams to be some sort of mutual respect between the two clubs, not surprising given both clubs history and reliance on their fans in the past! Anyway the game was a real contest for the first period. The Tigers were quick, moved the puck well, but seemed to just loose a bit of quality in executing their chances. Plus they came up against Adam Summerfield in fine form for the Phoenix. Sadly for the Tigers, I thought they ran out of steam during the second period. The odd man rushes dried up a bit, and they began chasing the puck. In the end the Phoenix chalked up a healthy victory, but the Tigers more than acquitted themselves.

Despite the loss, this was a game that did wonders for Telford, over 700 fans in the building! With the Phoenix remaining away games on a bank holiday and a saturday, Telford can expect large away crowds for those three fixtures!

This weekend, sees the Tigers play one fixture on sunday, hosting the MK Lightning. This will be another tough game as MK are quick and move the puck very well. MK should, while not as big, bring quite a few fans to Telford. For me, the Tigers need to work on preserving their energy, you cannot win a game in the first 20 or 40 minutes, you have to go the full 60! So Tom has to reign in their massive enthusiasm at the start. Telford should be able to get at least a point on home ice, but they need to play without mistakes. Given the recent release of Chis Allen, that job has only got tougher!

Good luck Telford!