Bulldogs get their fair share against rivals Blaze
LEADING MAN: Josh Stockton excelled for the Bulldogs once again, Sunday’s clash at the Skdome Arena seeing him add a hat-trick to his double against Coventry Blaze on home ice on Saturday. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.
ANDY BROWN said Bradford Bulldogs earned their fair share from a double-header weekend against Coventry Blaze which produced mixed results.
The Bulldogs edged out the Blaze 5-4 on home ice on Saturday before their NIHL North Two rivals gained swift revenge 24 hours later by clinching victory by the same scoreline at the Skydome Arena.
Goals from Josh Stockton (2), David Williams, Jack Wooding and Rhys Edwards were enough for a come-from-behind win on home ice, while Stockton continued his prolific season in front of goal with a hat-trick in the following day’s defeat, Lucas Vince also getting on target.
“I felt we played well all weekend and both games were end to end,” said Bulldogs’ head coach Brown. “On Saturday we started strong and probably should have grabbed a couple of extra goals early on.
“Coventry came back at us in the second, putting us on the backfoot and trailing going into the third, but we showed great character to get the game back and Sam Bolwell was strong between the pipes as they pushed for an equaliser at the end.”
ON THE BOARD: Rhys Edwards helped Bulldogs come from behind on home ice to beat Coventry Blaze with a crucial 49th-minute strike. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.
After a goalless first period at Bradford Ice Arena, the deadlock was broken by Coventry’s Harry Sherlock at 23.13, although it didn’t take the Bulldogs long to hit back, getting themselves ahead before the halfway mark through strikes from Williams and Wooding.
It was the visitors who went in ahead at the second break, however, their dominance evident by out-shooting the hosts 29-7 in the period and making the Bulldogs pay for taking two separate tripping calls with power play strikes from captain Robert Perks at 34.51 and then Max Soden at 37.28.
It got worse for the Bulldogs just over two minutes into the third when Lewis Smith made it 4-2, but the comeback began when Edwards made it a one-goal game at 48.37 before Alex Mitchell and Connor Medley combined to set up Stockton for his first goal to tie the game at 53.41.
Less than two minutes later, with Mark Higson in the box on a cross-checking call, Mitchell was again involved as Stockton broke free to score what proved to be a short-handed winning goal at 55.25, Sam Bolwell standing tall at the other end for the hosts by turning away all but four of the 67 shots on her nets.
When the two sides met again the following day, Scott Venus got the scoring underway at 06.07, only for Stockton to cancel that out just under two minutes later.
But the Bulldogs left themselves with a mountain to climb after conceding four unanswered goals in the second period, Soden, Jodie Alderson-Smith, Thomas Brooke-Smith and Joel Gavigan all beating Ryan Wardell in the visitors’ net.
Wardell was less busy in the third, with Coventry restricted to just four shots on goal while, at the other end, his team-mates set about reducing the deficit.
A second for Stockton at 45.25 gave the Bulldogs hope, with a power play strike from Vince at 53.25 increasing the chances of a successful comeback.
Stockton completed his hat-trick with a power play strike of his own at 55.24, but that was as close as they got, Blaze hanging on to clinch both points.
“Sunday was much the same but dropping four unanswered goals in the second just left us with too much to do in the third,” added Brown.
“We pushed hard and managed to get three goals back but, ultimately, splitting the points with Blaze over the weekend was probably a fair result for both teams.”