Bulldogs Junior Review: Life on the road for Under-18s and Under-12s

TOP BULLDOGS: Evan Bulmer (left) picked up the Under-12s ‘Top Digger’ award while netminder Jacob Shaw (right) won the team’s MVP trophy at Billingham. Under-18s netminder Jack Mickevicius picked up the MVP award after defeat in Nottingham.

IT proved a tough weekend on the road for two of our junior teams, the Under-12s heading east to Billingham, while the Under-18s headed south down the M1 to take on Nottingham.

In the end, there were no goals to celebrate for either team, but both performances were again full of hard work and effort giving the respective coaches plenty to admire.

The Under-12s have continued to show development across the board all season and it was no different in Billingham, who got themselves 3-0 ahead in the first period through strikes from Harry Johnson (2) and J Roovey.

But the young Bulldogs made their hosts scrap every inch of the way for their goals, Billingham going in at the second break 7-0 ahead through three more strikes from the prolific Johnson and a goal from P Szewczyk.

In the third period, J McAlpin made it 8-0 invoking the mercy rule. Come the final buzzer, Bulldogs’ netminder Jacob Shaw picked up the team’s MVP award, with Evan Bulmer leaving the rink wearing the ‘Top Digger’ helmet.

In Nottingham, the Bulldogs Under-18s found themselves 1-0 down inside two minutes after Sam Miller beat Jack Mickevicius. But that is how it stayed until the 15th minute, the Bulldogs coming close on a couple of occasions to drawing level.

However, once the second goal found its way in from Tyler Somerton at 14.11, there was no turning back for the hosts, who went into the first break 5-0 ahead through further strikes from Alex Rushby (2) and Luke Birchnall.

Ewan Woodward struck early in the second and Somerton doubled his tally soon after before Rushby and Miller got on the scoresheet once again to make it 9-0 going into the third.

Rushby struck twice again inside the first five minutes of the third, his fourth and fifth goals sandwiching an effort by Parson Mehrvand as the hosts ran out 12-0 winners,. Bulldogs’ netminder Jack Mickevicius was awarded the MVP award.