Bulldogs Juniors - Weekend Review of Under-14s and Under-16s
THREE’S A CROWD: Frank O’Sullivan scored a hat-trick in the 6-6 draw with Sheffield IHA. Picture: Andy Bourke.
BULLDOGS’ Under-14s had to settle for a point in a 12-goal thriller at Sheffield IHA on Saturday as the battle for a top-four finish goes down to the final weekend of scheduled games.
After January, the league is expected to be split into two groups - top four and bottom four - with each mini-division seeing each team play each other twice more, once at home and once away.
The visitors got off to a promising start when they went 3-0 ahead, Charlie Barker breaking the deadlock with just 97 seconds gone before Will Durgan and then Frank O’Sullivan got on the board.
STARTING POINT: Charlie Barker got the Under-14s on the board at Sheffield after just 97 seconds. Picture: Andy Bourke.
But Sheffield fought back hard and by the end of the first were just one goal adrift after Theodora Georgiadou-Hehil and then Lewis Ball found a way past Jacob Mardell in the Bulldogs goal.
It was nip and tuck for the early part of the second period before Bulldogs doubled their lead through O’Sullivan from the bottom of the right circle at 24.12.
The period was to get busy towards the end, though, when Sheffield again got to within one when Ball fored home from close range on the power play at 27.27.
But O’Sullivan was quick to respond, driving down the left boards before firing into the roof of the net from the top of the left circle to make it 5-3 with his hat-trick marker at 28.39.
That looked as if it would be the score coming out for the third but Bradford allowed Kingston McKenzie to go coast coast before firing past Mardell from distance with just two seconds of the period remaining.
Just 92 seconds of the third had gone when Sheffield deservedly drew level, Ollie Brown finding down the right before beating Mardell from 15 yards.
It got worse for the visitors when they fell behind for the first time, Ball left alone in centre ice to break clear and fire past Mardell at 35.33 for his hat-trick.
But it wasn’t long before they were level, a face-off win in their own zone seeing the puck fall to O’Sullivan who drove down the left before squaring for Harrison to fire home fromclose range to make it 6-6 at 37.16.
On Sunday, Bulldogs Under-16s faced a tough task at unbeaten leaders Nottingham and were down on numbers due to late withdrawals through illness and injury.
Once the deadlock was broken after four minutes, however, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the visitors at the National Ice Centre.
Luke Birchnall struck first at 4.22 with further strikes coming from Parson Mehrvand (2) and Nicholas Martin.
EARLY REPLY: Brett Harper was the only Bulldogs’ player to find the net in Nottingham. Picture: Andy Bourke.
Brett Harper grabbed one back for the Bulldogs at 8.46,but two more goals from Marton gave him his hat-trick and his team a 6-1 lead at the first break.
The second period was equally tough, Nottingham grabbing six more goals, with Mehrvand and Martin eventually finishing the game with four apiece, Birchnall registering a second for himself with further strikes from James Mather (2), Alex Rushby and Jack Carmody.