Lookers of Yardley Solihull Barons : 2
Whitley Warriors : 6

Sunday evening saw the first visit for a number of years by North East mainstays the Whitley Warriors to the Lookers of Yardley Solihull Barons. The Warriors came into the game off of a positive and undefeated pre-season and so were certainly there to ask questions of the newly promoted Barons in their first league tie of the year.

In front of a massive crowd, a frenetic and physical first period would end scoreless despite both sides having powerplay opportunities. Tight defensive play by both sides ensured the opportunities for quality shots on goal at either end of the ice were kept to a minimum.

The second period would see the deadlock broken early, with the Warriors Callum Watson lofting a soft shot from the right hand half-boards over Barons goalie Steve Lickman's glove. The period would continue along much the same lines as the first period, with physical attacks being countered by robust defence. A Barons effort just before the half hour looked to have levelled things but no goal was awarded. By the half-hour things were however level, the Barons Tom Soar tapping in his own rebounded shot.

The remainder of the period would not prove so successful for Solihull, a goal by Harry Harley gave the Warriors back their advantage, while a goal mouth scramble was knocked in by Callum Queenan to see the Barons heading to the dressing room two goals down.

The final period started badly for Solihull, Joe Henry going down badly with an injury to his right knee within the opening seconds and the Warriors then notching up a further goal off of the restart, captain James Tinsley this time. Four minutes later and Whitley would add another, Joe Stamp finding the net, though this would be quickly countered by Phil Knight pulling one back for the Barons. Young Callum Queenan would get the Warriors final goal with five minutes to go before the game ended with a series of fights involving Barons Rob Eley and Dave Rogers along with the much vaunted clash between Solihull's Perry Doyle and the Warriors Andre Payette.

A disappointing scoreline that somewhat underestimated Solihull's contribution to a highly entertaining game and a hard grafting performance by the home side.

Speaking after the game Barons coach and first line defenceman Perry Doyle was frustrated at the result. “We didn’t have the best of luck and I think we had the chance to get something from the game. Our powerplay definitely needs more work (referring to a series of unconverted powerplays in the first period) and it is just not quite clicking so we will be working hard to sharpen the powerplay. We also played our under-20s, Steve Lickman in goal, he had a great game but is still building experience at this level and is only going to get better.”

“I am proud with the guys though, they worked hard and didn’t back down. We are a very close team and will stick up for each other when needed.”

“It was also great to see such a big support turn up. This is a really good league, with lots of quality players who have played at higher levels in all the teams. Everyone will be taking points of everyone and we are working hard to ensure we fully able to play at this standard. Having that loud support from the fans is a big motivator for us and we’ll play our part by making sure they have an entertaining product on the ice that is just going to get stronger and stronger as we go through the season.”