ENL - Whitley Warriors @ Solihull Barons Preview

The Solihull Barons have been a name in English hockey since 1965 and have been based at their Hobbs Moat Road rink since 1972. The Barons spent most of their existence in the second tier of British hockey, before they changed their name to Solihull Blaze in 1996.
When Whitley first moved down to the English League in 1997, the Blaze were the team that stood in their way of immediate success. Both teams fought it out over the English National League and ED1 North titles, a battle ultimately won by the team from Solihull.
In 2000, the owners moved their side to Coventry, and with them went many of the Players that helped the Blaze win trophies in 1997-98. Most significantly, former Warrior, Steve Chartrand was one of those players moving down the road to the Sky Dome.
That paved the way for the Barons name to return to the town with the rink also getting a much needed overhaul that cost £1.8m. The re-launching of their home was delayed however, when vandals caused £75,000 worth of damage. Just two years later the club hit trouble and folded with the remnants of the team merging with Milton Keynes to form the Solihull MK Kings for the 2002-03 season.
The latest incarnation of the Solihull Barons formed in 2005, and after promotion last season now find their paths crossing with Whitley once again.
That brings us to this weekend's game, and the current Barons team. From looking at their website, the first name that stands out is Perry Doyle. Now at the veteran stage of his career, Doyle started out in Solihull way back in 1987, before being part of the exodus to the Sheffield Steelers in 1992 along with 'Rocket' Ron Shudra.

Doyle seems to have had an interesting few years including a stint in prison for drug dealing in Sheffield. The local Star newspaper has the full story here:
http://www.thestar.co.uk/what-s-on/out-about/ex-steeler-jailed-for-drug-dealing-1-279853 
Solihull, with Perry in their line-up, have already promised this will be a fiery encounter, with the promotion flyer below show-casing that.
Solihull can also rely upon three import forwards within their ranks. Slovakian pair Thomas Janak and Erik Bakalar and Swede Niklas Ottoson.

Ahead of next week's home game, Hockey From Across The Pond will feature a couple of classic encounters between the two sides from the 2001-02 season.