Bulldogs shot down by Blaze before going toe-to-toe with Buccaneers

STOP THAT: Jake Lowndes made a penalty shot save in the 3-2 defeat at home to Billingham Buccaneers. Picture: Alien Aerial Photography

IT was a tough weekend for Bradford Bulldogs as they came off second best twice against NIHL North rivals. 

They so nearly took something from the weekend in their home game against Billingham Buccaneers but officials waved off an equalising goal for the hosts at Little Horton Lane and they were eventually edged out 3-2.
It was a much-improved performance than the one given 24 hours earlier when they headed to the SkyDome Arena to take on Coventry NIHL Blaze. 

Four times the Bulldogs have played Coventry in the regular season, four times they have now come off second-best, this time losing out 7-1 against a team they could yet meet in the first round of the play-offs. 

The visitors were trailing 3-0 by the end of the first period through an Oliver Dixon Brace either side of an Arthur Brookes marker. 

The Blaze were able to double their lead by the end of the second through further strikes from Daniel Kent, Ashton Rudkin and Jamie Lewis, the last two goals coming within three seconds of each other in the 39th minute to effectively kill off any lingering hopes the Bulldogs may have had of a comeback.

ON TARGET: Bulldogs’ Connor Medley scored once in each game at the weekend. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.

Thomas Brooke-Smith made it 7-0 inside three minutes of the third period, the only bright moment for the Bulldogs coming with just 95 seconds remaining when Connor Medley grabbed a late consolation.

By contrast, Sunday was a tight affair against a Buccaneers team who have impressed in their inaugural season.

Bradford went into the game looking to square the four-game series and found themselves ahead when, after a goalless period, Abigail Culshaw was quickest to react to a rebound from Kacper Anrukianiec’s initial effort to put the hosts’ ahead at 22.38.

Jake Lowndes was the busier of the two netminders but there was little to choose between the two teams until the visitors got their noses in front with two goals in just over a minute. 

Simon Geldart was in the right place at the right time to sweep the puck home on the power play to level matters at 36.11 before Samuel Dowd intercepted a pass just inside the Buccaneers zone to race clear and beat Lowndes one-on-one just 72 seconds later. 

But the Bulldogs hit back, Josh Stockton taking a pass from Joe Howie before driving down the right boards and squaring the puck for Medley to force it home to make it 2-2 at 44.09. 

It wasn’t long before the visitors had their noses ahead again, though, Matthew Keeley’s strike from just inside the blue line eluding Lowndes at 45.53.

There was plenty more drama to come, though, Medley having a second goal of the night controversially waived off by the officials before, just seconds later, Lowndes stood tall to deny Dowd a second of the game when he was awarded a penalty shot (see above).

Despite their best efforts, there was no equaliser for the Bulldogs, the 3-2 defeat seeing them overtaken by Altrincham Aces in the standings to leave them seventh and facing a potential play-off opponent in second-placed Sutton Sting. 

With four games remaining, though, things could change yet again before the end of the regular season.
This weekend sees the Bulldogs hit the road to take on bottom club Nottingham. We close out our regular season home schedule with a visit from champions Telford Tigers 2.