After a couple of weekend’s away from home ice, the Direct Taxis Solihull Barons return to Hobs Moat for a rare Saturday home fixture against a mercurial Widnes Wild. The Wild have had a good run of form and with their tails up will be keen to take the game to Solihull in what should be an exciting game which could go either way.
The Wild have almost certainly been the surprise package of the season and despite their relative inexperience in N1, they have shown that, on any given night, they are no respecter of reputation and will quite happily mount a real challenge to any side in the league. Indeed only the Whitley Warriors currently hold a 100% record against them in all competitions thus far. Key to their performance has been a strong team ethic underpinned by some excellent individual efforts including prolific scoring by import Vlads Vulkanovs, while the ever dependable Harrison Walker has been a consistent and reliable presence between the pipes.
With the Wild having had the upper hand last time they visited Hobs Moat, Barons coach Callum Bowley was keen to ensure Solihull focusses on doing the basics well to bring home the win :
‘This weekend we have our sights set on putting in two strong performances and bouncing back after a disappointing road game against Blackburn.
‘As a team, we know what we’ve got to do and our focus is purely on playing our game, at our tempo and doing the little things right – when we do that we know we are a difficult team to beat. The guys are ready to go and we’ll be doing all we can to make sure we end the year on a high and take that momentum into the new year.
The tie faces off on SATURDAY 18th, 5:30pm at Planet Ice Solihull. The rink has updated its Covid protocols with masks being mandatory for those attending and not exempt. There is however no vaccine or test proof required for access.
In addition to the Wild fixture the Barons also have a second game this weekend with a trip to Nottingham on Sunday.
As a reminder, this tie is also supporting local families eligible for HAF support. This provides free tickets and refreshments for qualifying children. Please see here for more info and please pass on to anyone who could benefit.
