IT PROVED to be a mixed start to 2016 for Solihull Barons after they opened the new year with a win and a defeat in the NIHL Moralee Conference following two gruelling away fixtures.
The Barons narrowly got the better of Sutton Sting thanks to a 4-3 scoreline on Saturday, but the following event they lost out 5-3 at Billingham Stars.
On Saturday the Barons made the trip to Sheffield to meet the Sutton Sting with the last meeting between the two sides ending in a defeat for the visitors.
It looked as though this latest encounter would follow in the same fashion after the first two period with the Barons conceding three goals for no return after 40 minutes.
However the final period would see a dramatic Barons comeback with Solihull camped out in the Sutton end.
A pair of goals by Tom Soar sandwiching an effort from Niklas Ottosson brought Solihull level and with less than two minutes on the clock, Niklas Ottosson would net the winner for the visitors to bring two points back to the Midlands.
The following evening, Solihull made the long trip north to take on the Billingham Stars but would return with nothing to show for the motorway miles.
It would be the Barons who would score first with Ed Eaton finding the net in the first ten minutes only to see Billingham pull back level after 12 minutes.
The Stars however made the most of the home ice to begin a second period scoring spree, finding a way through the Barons defences no less than four times.
The Barons would pull a couple of goals back via Tom Soar and Niklas Ottosson to make the scoreline a little more balanced but another comeback was not going to happen.
The Billingham Stars will visit Solihull this Sunday offering the Barons an early opportunity to redress the balance against the Teeside team.
