Goal rush for dominant Barons

By Gareth Thomson

Fylde Flyers : 4
Solihull Barons : 15

It was a dominant performance on Saturday evening as the Solihull Barons trip to the Lancashire seaside was rewarded with more than ride up the front on a scabby wee donkey. Instead the side pocketed a convincing win over the Fylde Flyers in their latest National Ice Hockey league fixture.

The victory was particularly satisfying as only six days previously the Flyers had come within 10 minutes of denying the Barons both points when the sides met on the Hobs Moat ice, only for two late Erik Bakalar goals to edge it for Solihull.

Mike Rodger found the net three times and in doing so earned himself the Man of the Match award for Solihull

Despite Saturday's margin of victory, it took the Barons a little while to settle on the tiny Fylde ice pad. Instead it was the home side's captain Andy Clark who was the first to make the goal light flash just before the 10 minute mark and he did so while his side were a man short following a Wayne Whitby interference penalty.

The Barons response was however swift and decisive. In the twelfth minute, three Barons goals in a blurry thirty four second spell set the tone for the remainder of the game. Neil Adams, Jake Larkin and Joe Henry doing the rapid fire damage. By the end of the first period a second from Adams and the first of three from from Mike Rodger gave the Barons a 5-1 lead by the end of the first period.

Despite the nearness of Blackpool to the Fylde rink it was obvious the Barons had bought the kiss-me-quick hats for the ladies and not for the Flyers. As the physicality and the penalties started to mount, the Flyers managed a pair of powerplay goals. Despite this the Barons themselves continued to find the net in the second period with a single goal from Rich Slater together with a brace apiece for Dave Rogers and Rob Eley, the former's separated by only 30 seconds.

The final period saw two more goals from Mike Rodger, together with singles from Phil Lee, Eddie Slater and Erik Bakalar to round off a remarkable night for the Solihull side.

Coach Darren Bellerby was delighted with the effort put in by the Barons. "Fylde pushed us the other week and on their small rink they can be really difficult so we couldn't take this game for granted. For this weeks training we played across the ice to simulate the tight conditions at Fylde and that hard work paid off. The first ten minutes were a bit tricky but after that we took hold of the game and Fylde were never really in it. With Chris (Allen) missing the game, Perry (Doyle) took on the Captaincy for the night and I was really pleased with how that went too. Was great to have Phil Knight back after the nasty eye injury he took earlier in the season. As good as this result was we need to look forward and next week will be a very different game though."

The coach's final comments refer to this Sunday's tricky away tie against the Sheffield Senators who with the Barons, and the Deeside Dragons have spent much of the season fighting over second place in the league with rarely more than the thickness of a strip of stick tape between them.

Goals : Rodger (3), Adams (2), Eley (2), Rogers (2), Bakalar, R Slater, E Slater, Henry, Larkin, Lee
Assists : Brindle (2), Adams (3), Andrews (4), R Slater, Perks (2), Eley, Doyle (2), Rodger, Lee
Man of the Match : Mike Rodger

Next Away Game Sun 17th Feb @Sheffield Barons Bus Available Next Home Game Sunday 24th February The Barons face the Deeside Dragons in a fixture which will go a long way to determining which side ends up on top at the season end. Give the Boys your Support & make sure you're there ! Face-off : 6pm Adults £6 : Concessions £3 Family ticket £16 (2 adults and up to 3 children)