Bulldogs enjoy maximum return to extend winning streak

THAT’LL DO FOR STARTERS: Bulldogs’ players celebrate their opening goal after just 27 seconds by Josh Stockton (right), who went on to score five. Picture courtesy of Alien Aerial Photography.

IT may not have been enough to take them up in the NIHL North Two standings, but a first four-point weekend of the season was still plenty cause for celebration for Bradford Bulldogs.

With confidence up from the previous weekend’s 4-0 win at Nottingham Lions 2 - a result which snapped a seven-game losing streak - it was hoped the Bulldogs could build on that performance when the two teams met again at Bradford Ice Arena.

They certainly did, running out 14-2 winners in a one-sided affair with leading scorer Josh Stockton living up to his title with a five-goal haul and line-mate Connor Medley weighing in with a deserved hat-trick.

The Bulldogs then hit the road 24 hours later and extended their winning streak to three games with a gritty, hard-fought 5-4 win at third-placed Altrincham Aces with Stockton (3) and Medley (2) again on target.

“It has been a long time coming,” said head coach Andy Brown. “For the last few games we’ve been struggling to create goal-scoring chances, let alone score goals, so it was nice to see us rediscover that side of the game against Nottingham.

“Josh Stockton showed again what a top player he can be in this league, scoring five at any level is a great achievement, and it was nice to see Connor Medley get on the board with a hat-trick, too.

“We just looked a different team, more confident with the puck and I think that was partly down to getting that first win in a while the week before in Nottingham.”

CHEERS, PARTNER: Malachi Budd (left) celebrates with Lucas Vince after the two combined for the Bulldogs’ third goal - a shorthanded effort - against Nottingham on Saturday. Picture courtesy of Alien Aerial Photography.

Stockton’s opener against Nottingham, which saw him weave his way through after just 27 seconds, set an early tone which was maintained throughout the game.

The Lions proved a stubborn pride, though, as it wasn’t until 15.22 when the hosts doubled their lead through a second for Stockton, this time on the power play when he backhanded over netminder Isaac Ballinger’s left shoulder and into the roof of the net. 

The second period was less than two minutes old when the Bulldogs struck again, Lucas Vince chasing down the puck before setting up Malachi Budd for a short-handed strike.

Medley then got his first of the night when, on a delayed penalty, he drove the net and poked home through Ballinger’s legs to make it 4-0 at 23.40.

Stockton’s hat-trick came just before the halfway mark when he tipped in from Alex Mitchell’s strike from the right boards, his fourth coming when he glided around the goalie to make it 6-0 with a shorthanded marker at 33.31.

Shortly after Sam Bolwell - who kept out 23 shots of the 25 on her net - was called into action when she had to turn away a penalty shot from Harvey Smith, the visitors’ agony increased further in the 39th minute when Medley fired through traffic to make it 7-0.

If there were any lingering doubts about the outcome of the result, they were put to bed early in the third when the Bulldogs struck four goals in as many minutes, Medley sealing his hat-trick when he rounded back-up netninder Caitlin Woolley just 13 seconds in, Stockton going nap 18 seconds later when he went coast-to-coast before sliding the puck home as he fell to the ice. 

Archie Grayson got on the scoresheet when he was first to react to a rebound at 42.47 and he was joined just under two minutes later by Lucas Vince, when he cut in from the left before back-handing home.

ON TARGET: Archie Grayson (centre) celebrates his goal against Nottingham Lions 2. Picture courtesy of Alien Aerial Photography.

Mark Higson made it 12-0 when he reacted quickest to his own rebound at 51.32, but hopes of a second successive shut-out were extinguished when the Lions got on the board through Joe Howie at 52.36, Jasper Smith making it 12-2 on the power play just over two minutes later.

But there was still time for more goals at the other end, Damarni James firing into the roof of the net from close range off a feed from Stockton at 57.49 before Kacper Andrukianiec completed the rout when cutting in from the right and firing low past Woolley.

By contrast, the Bulldogs couldn’t have got off to a worst possible start at Altrincham the following day, falling behind to a Grace Garbett effort with just 63 seconds on the clock.

But they would end the period on top, thanks to a swift reply from Stockton at 3.13 which was followed by a Medley power play strike at 11.45.

The second period also belonged to the Bulldogs, who after being heavily outshot 24-5 in the first, turned the tables on the Aces, three of their 23 shots finding the net.

A second power play strike from Medley at 32.34 doubled the advantage, with the man advantage proving just that for a third time in the game when Stockton doubled his tally at 37.18.

Altrincham hit back quickly through Jake Frost but Stockton’s hat-trick strike with just 49 seconds of the period remaining saw the visitors go in 5-2 ahead.

Chances came and went at both ends in the third but it wasn’t until just inside the last 10 minutes that Bolwell was asked to face down a penalty shot for the second game running, this time, however, she was unable to repeat her previous day’s heroics when she was beaten by Sam Dunford.

Just under two minutes later it became a one-goal game when Ronnie Grimes fired home at 52.08, but the Bulldogs hung on for two points.

“To back that Saturday win up in Altrincham was a fantastic effort,” added Brown. “We made it closer than it perhaps needed to be, but we stayed strong defensively and Sam Bolwell was solid in between the pipes for us again, much like she was on Saturday.

“The weekend puts that bit of a gap between us and Nottingham now and we can look to push on and try to finish as high as we possibly can in the standings come the end of the season.”