Bradford Bulldogs’ see frustrations continue against NIHL North Two rivals Telford Tigers and Coventry NIHL Blaze

BAD STREAK: The Bulldogs saw their losing streak extended to six games with a 5-3 home defeat to Coventry.

BRADFORD BULLDOGS saw their losing streak extended to six games after a tough weekend against unbeaten Telford Tigers and Coventry NIHL Blaze.

A trip to Shropshire is rarely profitable for Andy Brown’s team and so it proved again as they were hammered 14-4 by a rampant Tigers.

The following day brought Coventry to West Yorkshire, with third-placed Blaze hoping to repeat the win they enjoyed over Bradford on home ice earlier this month, when they prevailed 4-3 in overtime.

The Bulldogs are doing it tough at the moment and while there was a much-improved performance on home ice, they still lost out, this time 5-3.

Head coach Andy Brown acknowledges his team lacks the quality and depth of Telford and Sutton, but believes they are a good match for the rest of NIHL North Two.

“It was another tough weekend for us,” said Brown. “Telford outplayed us for pretty much the full game on Saturday. They showed why they’re top of the league and, on that form, I don’t see anyone beating them if they’ve got a full team out.

STAR MAN: Connor Medley took a blow to the face from a puck before scoring twice and picking up the Bulldogs’ man of the match award.

“On Sunday we were once again our own worst enemies. We literally handed Coventry their first goal and then made a junior mistake for their second within 10 seconds which was all the lead Coventry needed.

“A freak redirect for the third and it was game over within 10 minutes.

“I felt we showed a little more character in the second and third but, again, we failed to convert on a 5-on- 3 chance and ultimately if you’re outshot 50 to 22 you don’t deserve to win the game.”

In Telford, Paul Davies broke the deadlock in the fifth minute for the hosts before the influential James Smith doubled the lead at 12.25.

Heavily outshot, the Bulldogs were still in the game when the two teams went in for the first break but, just after the halfway mark, the game was effectively over, the Tigers racing into a 7-0 lead through further strikes from Karol Jets, Filip Supa, Ryan Leese, Liam Preece and a second for Davies.

The Bulldogs finally got on the board at 33.32 through Connor Medley, with Jake Lowndes beaten for a second time by Jets before the second intermission arrived.

Early in the third, the Bulldogs reduced the deficit to five through a second goal for Medley and a Declan Kime strike, only for Telford to seize the momentum back through second goals for both Supa and Smith.

A power play marker from Alex Mitchell brought some cheer to the away bench, but only briefly as Supa, Smith and Davies all secured hat-tricks, Smith going one better when he bagged a fourth.

On Sunday, two goals in just over as many seconds left the Bulldogs with a mountain to climb against Coventry NIHL Blaze, the deadlock broken by Connor Mellett at 7,48 before Ashton Rudkin broke free down the right-hand side before beating Sam Bolwell at her near post.

A slightly freaky third goal soon came for the visitors, Harrison Sumner’s speculative effort ricocheting into the back of the Bulldogs’ net off Medley’s face.

Despite considerable pain and discomfort, it was Medley who got back up to drag his team into the game, cutting in from the left boards before forcing the puck home at full-stretch from in front at 12.34.

The Blaze restored their three-goal lead at 24.08 when Joel Gavigan robbed the puck and quickly fired past Sam Bolwell from the right circle.

But again, the hosts hit back, although they required two goes at it after Medley’s backhanded effort from in front was scratched off for a controversial offside in the build-up.

From the resulting face-off on the edge of the Blaze zone, Stockton harried to rob the puck behind the net before feeding the on-rushing Medley, who blasted home from five yards to make it 4-2 at 29.17.

Coventry continued to have the greater chances, but Bolwell was equal to everything they threw at her and going into the last five minutes there remained hope for the Bulldogs.

But a shot through traffic from Connor Wheeldon evaded the Bulldogs’ goalie to make it 5-2 at 56.55 and effectively end the hosts’ hope of taking something from the game.

There was still time for Kime to get his second of the weekend when he fired home a rebound with 65 seconds left but that was as close as they got.