Bulldogs Junior Review: Rounding-up U-18s, 16s and 14s

TOUGH DAY: Oli Massey prepares to face off against Telford during Sunday’s 7-3 defeat.

IT proved to be a tough weekend for all of the Bulldogs’ junior teams that took to the ice. 

The Under-18s were on home ice against Telford Juniors, 24 hours later than when the Under-16s hosted Nottingham at Little Horton Lane, while the Under-14s hit the road on Sunday to take on Nottingham at the National Ice Centre.

The Under-18s found themselves trailing to a seventh-minute strike by Taylor Stanton, a lead that was doubled by Ryan Leese less than two minutes into the second period. 

Good work by Daragh Spawforth teed up Danny Harrison to blast home through traffic from the top of the left circle to halve the deficit just over two minutes later but the period belonged to the visitors, who raced away to establish a 5-1 lead through Leese, Jacob Holdsworth and a second, this time short-handed, strike, from Stanton. 

MASTER BLASTER: Danny Harrison fires home Bulldogs’ Under-18s first goal against Telford on Sunday.

Spawforth gave his team hope in the 37th minute with a power play marker but Telford pulled away again in the third.

Stanton completed his hat-trick with a second shorthanded goal at 43.25 before Leese matched his efforts with his own treble marker at 56.13.

Spawforth grabbed a late consolation with a second power play strike to make it 7-3, while Tyler Hall picked up the home team’s Spirit of the Game Award.

It was a similar tale 24 hours earlier for the Under-16s, although they got off to a flying start when Harrison intercepted a pass at the halfway mark and broke away down centre ice before backhanding past Harvey Kembery at 3.40.

But thereafter, the game belonged to the visitors who dominated possession and chances, forging 2-1 ahead by the end of the first through two goals from Alex Rushby.

And when the Bulldogs conceded four goals in just under three second period minutes, it was effectively game over.

Rushby doubled his tally by, first, completing his hat-trick at 18.18 and then adding another just over a minute later.

Just 25 seconds later at 19.58, Liam Peters made it 5-1 before he added another at 21.14.

Harrison offered slender hope to the hosts when he made it 6-2 at 21.41, but Nottingham were able to see out the game in comfortable style, adding third period goals from Leland Stevens and Darren Tulling for a fully-deserved 8-2 win which saw them outshoot the hosts 56-19. 

Jacob Mardell impressed in net, particularly in the third when turning away 20 of the 22 shots on his goal, while Sam Bain was awarded the Bulldogs’ Spirit of the Game award.

Missing key players, the Under-14s faced a tough task at Nottingham on Sunday, their cause not helped when they fell 4-0 behind inside 10 minutes through goals from Harley Morgan, Mason Newman, Harrison Beck and Tom Hayman. 

BATTLING: Thomas Lee tries to break free during the Under-14s game at Nottingham. Picture courtesy of Alien Aerial Photography.

Charlie Butler made it 5-0 before the end of the period before the game was effectively settled in the second through efforts from Morgan, Harley Foster, Beck and a second from Butler.

Lloyd Evans, a hat-trick strike from Newman and a Joshua Allen goal, all in the third period, completed a 12-0 victory for the hosts.