Bulldogs Junior Review: Under-12s get their reward as Under-14s take on Nottingham

STAR PERFORMERS: Jackson Livingstone (Spirit of the Game, U-12s), Jacob Shaw (Hardest Worker, U-12s), Denver Wilcox (Spirit of the Game, U-14s) and Jack Clarke (Hardest Worker, U-14s).

BRADFORD BULLDOGS Under-12s celebrated Christmas in the best way possible when they picked up their first win of the season. 

Having had a couple of near-misses this year, the young Bulldogs got over the line with a 6-2 win at home to Leeds Junior Knights (Blue). 

Captain Bentley McEwen led from the front with a hat-trick, with other goals coming from Evan Bulmer (2) and Alexander Szwajcar in what was a first win for our Under-12s team in more than a year.

It was Bulmer who got the ball rolling with just 2.47 on the clock, the lead being doubled when McEwen opened his account at 4.10. 

The Bulldogs were able to take a 3-0 lead into the first intermission when Szwajcar struck at 5.59. 

McEwen doubled his tally at 25.10 as the Bulldogs stretched their lead before Leeds got on the board through Griffin Earley at 30.05. 

The four-goal cushion was restored though when Bulmer matched his skipper’s output when making it 5-1 at 32.44. 

McEwen completed an impressive hat-trick with a short-handed strike at 44.34 before Leeds pulled one back - also while a man down - through Denis Samjonovs in the 48th minute. 

Jackson Livingstone got the Spirit of the Game award for the Bulldogs, with goalie Jacob Shaw picking up the Hardest Worker Helmet.

The Under-14s took to the ice soon afterwards at Bradford Ice Arena and came up against a strong Nottingham team. 

The visitors got off to a strong start and were 3-0 ahead inside as many minutes through strikes from Mason Newman, Travis-Lee Fay and Jayden Thomas. 

The lead was doubled by the 10th minute when Thomas added his second on the power play with Dominik Orlovsky and Thomas Hayman also getting on the scoresheet. 

Further strikes came from Isaac Dawson (2) and Thomas - with his hat-trick strike - as Nottingham carried a 9-0 lead into the first intermission. 

Thomas made it four for the night early in the second before the scoring was wrapped up by A second for Newman and Charles Butler for a deserved 12-0 win.
Netminder Jack Clarke picked up the Hardest Worker Helmet, while Denver Wilcox was awarded the Spirit of the Game.