Bradford Bulldogs 6 Altrincham Aces 3 - Bulldogs on the rise thanks to third-period comeback

TREBLE TOP: Josh Stockton led a third-period fightback for Bradford Bulldogs by scoring a hat-trick to secure a much-needed 6-3 win over Altrincham Aces. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.

BRADFORD BULLDOGS hauled themselves off the bottom of NIHL North Two after a third-period goal blitz saw them beat Altrincham Aces 6-3.

But while head coach Andy Brown was pleased his team snapped a four-game losing streak with the win on home ice - thanks in large part to a Josh Stockton hat-trick - he called on his players to show more consistency in order to avoid being involved in a dogfight at the bottom end of the table for the rest of the season. 

"It was great to get the win but, again, it wasn't such a great performance until we woke up in the last 15 minutes or so,” said Brown.

“It shows that when we want to, we can compete with any team in this league. We have shown that at times - against the leaders Telford the other week and again here against Altrincham, a team who are third in the table.

“But we need to play how we did towards the end on Saturday across the whole 60 minutes, at least for more than just the short period that we did manage to against Altrincham.”

The home team entered the third 3-0 down through first-period goals from Sam Dunford, Elliot Hunt and Brad Chapman and on course for a fifth straight loss, although Ryan Wardell had kept them in the game, when turning away all 15 shots on his goal in the second period. Fighting majors for Grant Cook and the Aces’ Ben McLellan early in the third then saw the momentum begin to shift in the Bulldogs’ favour. 

The Bulldogs had struggled to create much meaningful offence in the first 40 - outshot 30-17 as they were - but they were to dominate the third and, with just over 12 minutes remaining, a power play strike from Stockton at 48.58 threw them a lifeline. 

The home side went on to capitalise on that moment and fired themselves in front with three goals in 83 seconds.

Damarni James made it a one-goal game at 52.06 before Josh Reynolds struck an equaliser just 41 seconds later.

COMBINATION: Bulldogs' Connor Medley got on the board again, bagging a goal and three assists in the come-from-behind 6-3 win against Altrincham. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.

The go-ahead goal came at 53.29 when Josh Stockton doubled his tally for the night, combining with Connor Medley, the two coming together again just under five minutes later along with Reynolds in order for Medley to get on the board and make it 5-3.

Stockton then sealed an impressive comeback - and his own hat-trick - when he beat Evan Coles with just 34 seconds remaining.

“It was nice to bring an end to that four-game losing streak,” added Brown. “It did lift us off the bottom of the table, so there were positives to take away. 

"But, going forward, if we don't maintain the level of performance that we had at the end on Saturday, we will find ourselves back down at the bottom and we'll only have ourselves to blame."

IN THE the only other game involving Bulldogs' teams at the weekend, the Under-18s struggled to gain a foothold in their North Division One clash at Sheffield IHA, eventually losing out 12-0.

The Bulldogs found it tough to create many clear scoring chances but, until just after the halfway mark were still in the game, trailing 3-0 through strikes from Sheffield's Wagg, Cutts and Jack Brammer.

But four further goals in just over five minutes just after the halfway mark put the game beyond reach, Brammer, Cutts, Scholey and Weeks getting on the board.

Brammer sealed his hat-trick in the third, with further strikes coming from Dancer, Fisher, Dawson and Newton.