Barons put Senators to the Sword

By Gareth Thomson

A large and passionate 500 strong crowd witnessed a frantic game on Sunday night as the Sheldon Jewellery Centre Solihull Barons came out victorious against a well organised Sheffield Senators side in a massively entertaining National Ice Hockey league fixture.

Slick passing, hard skating and full blooded checking from both sides were to the fore in a frenetic and fast paced first period.

Debutant Joe Henry wasted no time in making an impact on the Barons first line, netting a cross from Rich Slater after only five minutes. The Solihull lead would last less than a minute, as a gap in the Barons defence was swiftly exploited by Sheffield's Anton Egorov

The pace did not let up for a second, as each side launched repeated attacks on the opposition goals but strong defence and a bit of luck, saw no further goals and the two sides headed for the break evenly matched.

If the pace of play dropped to a more sustainable rate, the quality of hockey continued into the second period. Joe Henry repaying the faith shown in him by the Barons management with a second goal just after the half hour. The Barons first line then combined for a third time, Henry finding Jake Larkin in space allowing the Solihull number 21 to breakaway before passing to Rich Slater who made no mistakes in sending the puck into the Senators net.

 A major bout of fisticuffs involving Adz Andrews, Neil Adams and Rob Eley erupted midway through the final period, seeing the trio, together with their Sheffield opposite numbers all earning double roughing penalties. As the game restarted Jake Larkin again combined with line mates Slater and Henry to take the Barons 4-1 up midway through the final period and apparently assured of victory.

Captain Chris Allen was very happy with the Barons performance.

Sheffield however showed their quality and when the Barons gave away a needless penalty, the Senators quickly took the opportunity to cut the Solihull lead. Shortly after Rob Eley appeared to score only to have his goal washed out and two minutes later Sheffield's young forward Jonathan Kirk put the puck past Barons netminder Dave Roxburgh, seeing the once safe Solihull lead cut to a single goal.

A tense and frenzied final four minutes ensued, Sheffield pressing for the equaliser and pulling their goalie for an extra attacker with a few seconds to go. The puck however fell to the Barons Phil Lee and then onto Joe Henry who calmly fired the puck the length of the ice and into the empty Sheffield net to claim his hat trick, raise a massive cheer from the large support and secure the win for Solihull.

Barons captain and assistant coach Chris Allen was delighted with result. "It was a really good game overall if a little closer than it could have been. It is going to be a very tight league with nearly every team capable of taking points of each other and the top sides need to stay focussed for the full 60 minutes." Allen was also pleased by the impact of new signing Joe Henry, "Joe had a great game and has shown himself to be a good addition to the team. He has played a lot at a higher level and that experience can only help the team get better."

For his part Henry relished earning a Man of the Match performance in his first start for the Barons, "It's the first game I've really enjoyed in two years. You know I am back playing where I played as a junior and it feels good. The chemistry on the line is already there and is only going to get stronger the more we play together". Henry was also enthusiastic about this weekend's fixture against Coventry, a side he played for, for much of his senior career, "I know a lot of those players, so it should be great game".

Joe Henry had an outstanding debut

The massive "A45 Derby" returns this Sunday 6pm at Hobs Moat Ice Rink as the Solihull Barons take on the Coventry Blaze in a West Midlands Challenge Cup fixture. If it can offer half the thrills of the Sheffield game it will be one not to miss !

Goals : Henry (3), R Slater, Larkin
Assists : R Slater (3), Henry (2), Larkin, Allen, Lee

Next Home Game The next home game is on the 18th November, versus the Coventry NL Blaze The Barons take on West Midlands rivals the Coventry Blaze in the famous A45 Derby. This game forms part of the West Midlands cup and with so much personal and team bragging rights at stake, an excting game is promised. Make sure you make it down to the rink and give the boys your support ! Face-off : 6pm Adults £6 : Concessions £3 Family ticket £16 (2 adults and up to 3 children)