Recap

Whitley Warriors : 2
Airport Placements Limited Solihull Barons : 5

The Airport Placements Limited Solihull Barons picked up their first win in four games with a strong team performance against the Whitley Warriors and in doing so leapfrogged the North East side to third in the Moralee Division.

The Barons opened the scoring with a power play goal on nine minutes, Tom Soar being fed by Joe Henry. The Warriors Joe Stamp would counter for the home side before Niklas Ottosson found the net before the period end to give Solihull the momentum as the first twenty minute period was closed out.

The middle period would see the Barons camped in their own end as the Warriors pushed hard for the equaliser. A total of 22 shots peppered the Solihull net during this spell but Barons goalie Josh Nicholls was up to the task – a brick wall against the home side’s aspirations. The Barons chances were few but well taken, Ed Eaton getting the Barons third goal.

The final period remained scoreless until the final five minutes – the Warriors trimmed the Barons advantage to a single goal to give the Whitley support hope, only for the Barons Dale White to restore Solihull’s two goal cushion within a minute. With Whitley pulling their netminder in the final forty seconds in favour of the extra forward to try to force the draw, when the puck fell to the Barons, the inevitable empty net goal resulted – Tom Soar picking up his second of the night.

The Barons return to home ice this weekend when they welcome the Blackburn Hawks to Hobs Moat. The Hawks were last season’s runaway champions but have struggled this season following a number of roster changes but would be dangerous to write off and the Barons will know not to be complacent. Face-off 6:00pm.

Barons Man of the Match : Jacob Smith

 

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Elsewhere in the League

Telford Tigers 5 : 0 Whitley Warriors *
Solway Sharks 9 : 1 Blackburn Hawks
Deeside Dragons 9 : 4 Blackburn Hawks
Billingham Stars 3 : 2 Solway Sharks
(* Game abandoned after 2nd period)