A45 Loss hits Barons hard

By Matt Johnson, Barons Press Officer

The Solihull Barons are now all but relegated from the ENL North Division One after losing out to fierce rivals Coventry ENL Blaze in a ‘winner takes all’ relegation playoff at the Skydome.

The defeat means that the Barons must now win all of their four remaining games and hope Coventry lose all of theirs if they are to avoid the relegation trapdoor - difficult, but not impossible.

The match was highly billed in the Midlands and that saw a large crowd descend on the Skydome hoping to see a game of nail-biting hockey, but it didn’t really start that way.

Without doing anything spectacular, the Blaze found themselves 3-0 ahead after 21 minutes in an otherwise evenly matched encounter. The Barons had failed to hit the net in their last three games and that lack of clinical edge was shown again as chances came and went in front of the Blaze net.

But that run of 205 minutes without a goal ended in the most bizarre of circumstances. Lee Winwood’s defensive punt from his own zone somehow crept into the back of the Blaze net as an embarrassed netminder tried to leave the puck to skid behind for icing.

Just two minutes into the final period Rob Eley gave the Barons real hope when he swept home a delayed penalty goal from Dale White’s cut back to make it 3-2 to leave the fans on the edge of their seats. But that new found optimism was short lived as two Blaze sucker punches in the following minute looked to put them out of reach at 5-2.

Dale White’s superb solo effort appeared to have given the travelling fans hope with nine minutes left, but Coventry had the last laugh when they struck with two minutes remaining to cap off a season defining 6-3 victory.

Three of the Barons four remaining games take place at fortress Hobs Moat - the first on Sunday against Blackburn Hawks in what is much more than just a league clash.

The game will double up as the Steve Perks Memorial Trophy match and the Barons will be keen to keep the iconic trophy on Solihull soil again after defeating Flintshire Freeze last season.

Solihull Barons v Blackburn Hawks. Sun Feb 26, face-off 6pm, tickets £6 adults, £3 concessions.

Goals: Winwood, Eley, White
Assists: Laverick, White, Brindle
Man of the match: White

The Barons meet the Blackburn Hawks this Sunday, 26th February, at the Hobs Moat Rink. This game will also be played for the Steve Perks Memorial Trophy. Face-off 6pm, £6 adults, £3 concessions