Back-to-back wins sees Solihull Barons reach the play-offs - The Solihull Observer

Back-to-back wins sees Solihull Barons reach the play-offs

Solihull Editorial 17th Mar, 2016 Updated: 21st Oct, 2016   0

BACK-to-back victories over Sheffield Senators and Whitley Warriors guaranteed Solihull Barons a slot in the NIHL North 1 (Moralee) play-offs.

The Barons notched up another successful weekend with two big wins to confirm their position in the play-offs while also completing their record of dishing out  defeats to every team in the league on home soil this season.

A busy weekend started north of the border in Sheffield where the Barons travelled to take on the Senators for the second time in the space of a week.

And while the previous fixture had resulted in the Barons returning with a comfortable win, it proved to be much closer affair this time around.




For most of the opening half the Barons struggled to get the better of their opposition and by the end of the second period the two sides went in level at 2-2.

The Barons emerged from the dressing rooms with a point to prove and got three quick goals thanks to Niklas Ottosson, Tom Soar and Tomas Janak to put some clear water between the sides.


And while the teams would each trade a pair of goals with ten minutes to go, the Barons had done enough for a 7-4 win.

There was not time to rest for the Barons who were in action again on Sunday evening as they hosted Whitley Warriors who despite the long journey made a bright start.

However it was the hosts who took the lead when Tomas Janak fed Joe Henry a long pass to give set up a breakaway chance for the number 7, which was duly converted into the opening goal of the evening.

The lead would however be short lived with the Warriors firing in from the point off of a face-off less than a minute later.

By the latter half of the period the Barons were coming much more into the game and again took the lead, this time through Stephen Heape play down the left wing.

Into the second period and the Warriors David Longstaff levelled things up with a close range shot before the pace of the match upped significantly and some strong, physical hockey was on offer which bore fruit for the Barons in the 35th minute through Niklas Ottosson this time.

The period would however end with the sides back level as Whitley’s Ben Richards tipped in to leave things 3-3 going into the final 20 minutes.

Shortly after the restart it was the Warriors who took the lead when Harry Harley broke away for a short-handed goal.

The Barons however kept their focus with goals from Ed Eaton, Josh Bruce and Rob Eley to ultimately give Solihull a hard won 6-4 team victory.

The Barons have no games this weekend before they wind up their regular season with clashes with against elect the Blackburn Hawks in Lancashire on March 26 before closing the league campaign at home the following evening against Sheffield Spartans.

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