After 18 months away, the Direct Taxis Solihull Barons return to home ice when they welcome the Haringey Huskies to Hobs Moat this Sunday for a very much anticipated pre-season tie. While supporters have been longing to get back round the rink to watch the action, for players it has been a case of getting stuck back into training and getting a feel for the ice once more.
Coach Callum Bowley has relished the chance to get the team back and clicking together once again :
‘It feels great to be back on the ice and be around the team again after such a long time off. The first team session was pretty tough, as everyone had to quickly dust the cob webs off, get used to skating properly and competing against each other again but now we’re moving in the right direction and improving week on week.
While it always takes a little while to build up fitness and slickness after a normal 5 month off-season, after the loss of an entire season Bowley acknowledged that while the starting point may have been a little different, the side was progressing quickly and he was confident they would be there, or thereabouts, come the first puck-drop:
‘In terms of preparing for the upcoming season, we are now well into preseason training and I have to say the guys are starting to get up to speed which is great to see. This year we had to take a lot into consideration as most of us haven’t been on the ice for over 14 months, which is such a huge time in sport so we’ve had to factor that into our preseason schedule and allow more time for the team to prepare. The priority right now is to get everyone competing again, increase our fitness levels and implement our systems and style of play, but these things take time to drop into place.
The squad has also brought in a number of new players for 21-22 and he was impressed by their rapid integration into the squad.
‘We are making progress each week, the tempo at practice is really good and the new guys have settled in really well. Stokesy is looking good and I can see him being a big part of our d-core, Bailey looks a solid addition and is doing well, Brodie is starting to show what he can bring to the team and Lavs has been a welcome addition to our goalie line up.
‘On behalf of the club, we are excited and can’t wait to welcome you all back to Solihull Planet Ice on Sunday. Let’s get behind the team and make it a great weekend of hockey. We look forward to seeing you there!
Callum Bowley
Player Head Coach
If you haven’t already purchased your season ticket, don’t forget you can still purchase it up until 2nd September. Season ticket holders get free entry to the home game against Haringey. Buy your season ticket here.
