Defensive errors prove costly for Telford Tigers

Telford blew an early two-goal lead and then fought back from two goals down before eventually falling to their 16th defeat in 18 matches.

Watkins later bemoaned his team’s sloppiness in defence and lack of calm in possession after an impressive attacking performance was ultimately wasted.

“As a team we need to learn how to win, what it takes to win,” he said. “We need to see more composure on the puck.

“We scored five on the road and we should be winning the hockey game.

“But our first and second period performance just wasn’t good enough, we gave up soft goals.”

The night could hardly have started better for Telford, who found themselves two goals up inside the opening five minutes.

First, Scott McKenzie and Fin Howells combined to set up Vladimir Luka for the opener, before Rory Herrman added a second goal with a superb wrist shot that gave Bristol netminder Will Kerlin no chance.

But the advantage was quickly lost. Jay Warren was left unmarked in front of goal and scored with ease, with Ed Bradley netting Bristol’s equaliser shortly after.

Herrman did restore Telford’s advantage in the final minute of the period but it was the hosts who then surged ahead. Reece Kelly took advantage of the space afforded by the visiting defence to level and just a minute later, Bristol were ahead for the first time, Caly Robertson deflecting Sean Morris’s shot past Tigers netminder Brad Day.

Things looked bleak for Telford when Robertson grabbed his second to make the score 5-3 early in the third period.

But then came another dramatic swing as the visitors netted twice in the space of a minute through Howells and Hermann, the latter completing his hat-trick, to level things up.

Telford appeared to have all the momentum but were unable to make it count. Instead, it was the hosts who nudged ahead when Warren took advantage of more slack marking to fire home.

With the match in the final minute, Day was pulled from the ice but it was the hosts who scored, former Tigers player Bayley Harewood firing into the empty net.