Sheffield Scimitars – Solihull Barons

Recap

The Zoo Accounting Solihull Barons rounded off their 2022-23 regular season with a relatively comfortable win over the Scimitars at Ice Sheffield on Sunday night to give a swing of momentum as the play-offs get underway.

While the Barons had been confirmed in fourth place in the Moralee standings the Scimitars had been handed a play-off lifeline following the docking of points at rivals the Nottingham Lions and a win offered a place off the foot of the table and an extension of play into the post season.

Within a minute of the puckdrop, the Scimitars gave away a powerplay following a hooking call on captain, Josh Yeardley. With the extra man, Solihull and Andy Whitehouse made no mistakes and got the Barons on the scoreboard after two minutes. While there were further chances at both ends of the ice the first period closed with Solihull holding the one goal advantage.

Whitehouse would find the net for the second time four minutes into the second period, Niklas Ottosson and Phil Mulcahy, providing support as they had for the first. By the end of the middle twenty the visitors had extended their lead to three – Phil Mulcahy himself this time finding the net while the Barons were on the penalty kill.

By the third period the Barons were easing away – Niklas Ottosson getting a fourth Solihull goal three minutes in. A brace of Sheffield goals either side of the mid-period mark gave the home side a bit of a boost but with time against them, they could only look on as the points went to the West Midlands.

The Barons now roll immediately into the play-off quarter finals against the Widnes Wild. On Saturday we have the home leg – face-off 5.30pm, before heading to Cheshire for the decider with aggregate winner heading to Altrincham for the play-off final-four on the weekend of the 8th & 9th April.

BARONS MAN OF THE MATCH, KIERAN PAPPS