Will Harper scored in both Wild NIHL games at the weekend and was named MVP away at Solihull (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)
Sunday 7th January 2024 – Moralee Division: Solihull Barons 6 – Widnes Wild 5 (OTL)
The Widnes Wild NIHL team made a cautiously positive start to the new year with two battling performances on the road ending in a 6-3 defeat away at Hull Jets on Saturday and a narrow 6-5 overtime loss to Solihull Barons on Sunday.
The game on Sunday in the West Midlands was a closely fought affair and was pretty much anybody’s game all the way through.
After a tense opening phase, Solihull eventually took the lead on 10 minutes and then scored a second goal with 30 seconds left on the clock to lead 2-0 at the first period break.
Will Harper opened the Wild account for the night with a goal on 22 minutes but Solihull restored the 2-goal lead 3 minutes later with a delayed penalty goal.
Two minutes after that, Mikey Gilbert halved the deficit again but then a string of penalties for both sides broke up the Wild’s gathering momentum.
A Barons powerplay goal on 35 minutes edged them further ahead, only to be pegged back by a Rhys Edwards strike on 37 minutes, but a further Solihull goal with 26 seconds left in the period saw them leading 5-3 at the second break.
The third period was real barnstorming stuff and Widnes narrowed the gap once again with a goal from Matty Barlow on 47 minutes and then finally managed to draw level with a Rhys Edwards strike just 46 seconds later.
The remaining 12 minutes saw chances at both ends but the score remained 5-5 at the end of regulation time and a period of 3-on-3 sudden death over time was needed to find a winner.
Solihull scored the winning goal 2 minutes into the OT period and were able to celebrate their third win over the Wild this season.
The Barons receive two points for the win while Widnes get a single point for the Over Time Loss, having drawn at the end of regulation time.
The Wild are at home to the Barons this Saturday 13th January at Planet Ice Widnes, 7pm face off, and then travel to face local rivals Deeside Dragons away in Queensferry on Sunday, 5.15pm face off.
