Shoot out defeat damages Tigers playoff hopes
Autocraft Telford Tigers returned to home ice yesterday evening for the third of their playoff games. Tigers had lost both previous games to Leeds Knight, although they had picked up a point in losing in overtime at home.
The opening period was close with both teams getting and missing chances. It would be the visitors that would score first. Cameron Hough scored from close range, shooting in off Brad Day’s pads to give the Phantoms the lead.
Telford hit back with two power play goals late in the period. Jarvis Hunt was serving a kneeing penalty and Nathan Salem was serving a roughing penalty, giving Tigers a two man advantage. Tigers levelled the game when Scott McKenzie’s shot hit a Peterborough defender and bounced kindly to allow David Thomson to skate towards goal and send the puck past Hayden Lavigne in the Phantoms goal.
With just one second of the period left, Telford took the lead. A long range shot from Danny Rose was deflected in front of goal by James Smith, beating Lavigne.
Five minutes into the second period, Tigers added a third goal. Eric Henderson set up David Thomson who scored his second of the game after picking up a rebound and shooting into the open net.
But Peterborough hit back with a power play goal of their own with Hough scoring again. The visitors then levelled the game when Telford made an awful line change allowing Peterborough to break in on goal unopposed. Tom Norton scored off Hough’s rebound to draw the sides level.
The Phantoms went in front early in the third period when Duncan Speirs was left unmarked in the slot allowing the Peterborough forward ample time to shoot past Brad Day.
Telford were throwing everything at the Peterborough goal but as time was running out it looked like a defeat was inevitable. But with just over a minute to go the home side drew level when Rhodes Mitchell-King sent Devon Skoleski in on goal. Skoleski sent a terrific wrist shot into the bottom right hand corner of the goal to send the game to overtime.
A goalless overtime period saw the game decided by a penalty shoot out. Peterborough scored all of their opening three attempts meaning Eric Henderson had to score to keep the game alive but his shot was saved by Lavigne sending Tigers to their third defeat of the playoffs.
Final Score: Autocraft Telford Tigers 4 Peterborough Phantoms 5 (after penalty shoot out).
Scorers: David Thomson (2), James Smith and Devon Skoleski.
Man of the match: Danny Rose.
After the game Head Coach Tom Watkins, commented, “I thought for two periods we were the better team, out shooting and out chancing Peterborough but we hadn’t really taken any advantage of that. We gave up two goals where we have to do much better with those situations and ultimately that cost us. We played hard, were very competitive and after falling behind kept our belief to tie the game up.
"I am disappointed to lose for sure but we once again we put on a battling display with a depleted group and are expecting a lot of players who are playing high minutes. The boys were running on fumes toward the end of the game but kept pushing to get back level and we gained a point from those efforts.”
