Bulldogs Under-16s maintain winning start as Under-18s are edged out on home ice
THERE were mixed fortunes for the Bulldogs’ Junior teams at the weekend, the Under-16s prevailing with a deserved 5-2 road win at Whitley Bay, while the Under-18s were unlucky to be edged out on home ice by Coventry Blaze.
Having got their North One campaign off to a winning start in Hull a fortnight ago, the 16s enjoyed the perfect start in Whitley Bay when captain Daragh Spawforth fired home from 10 yards out with just 19 seconds on the clock.
But the hosts were in no mood to roll over and got back on level terms through Dylan Towndrow in the 13th minute.
A quality Frank O’Sullivan strike restored the Bulldogs’ lead just over three minutes into the second period, the visitors going in at the next intermission 3-1 ahead when Spawforth doubled his tally when firing through traffic past Orson Groot.
Just after the restart, Spawforth sealed a deserved hat-trick before Ben Wood gave the hosts hope when he made it 4-2 with just under seven minutes remaining.
But any hope Whitley Bay had of taking something from the game was killed off when Danny Harrison broke free down centre ice to fire past Groot at 41.45 to maintain the team’s 100 per cent start to their North One campaign.
The Under-18s got their league season off to a pulsating start, but came out of their home clash against Coventry with nothing to show for their efforts as they went down 6-5.
After a fairly even opening 10 minutes, the deadlock was broken when Brett Harper struck for the home team at 10.53.
It marked the start of a frantic two minutes, Coventry levelling through Harry Gallon at 11.03 before Spawforth drove down the left before firing home under goalie Owen Chester’s left arm to bag his first-ever 18s goal and restore the hosts’ lead at 12.30.
The Blaze got their noses in front early on in the second, however, when they struck twice in the space of 33 seconds, Ashton Rudkin tying things up at 22.08 before Samuel Krnac put them ahead.
The lead was doubled by a second for Rudkin just after the halfway mark but the Bulldogs ensured they remained in the game when Tom Mardell made it a one-goal game again at 31.25.
The home side’s bid to open their league campaign with a win took a further upturn when they forged ahead with two goals in a minute early on in the third.
After his hat-trick for the 16s the day before, Spawforth completed a profitable weekend when he doubled his tally to level matters at 44.59, the home supporters then erupting when Mardell matched his team-mate by making it 5-4 at 45.46.
But there was to be one final twist, Krnac equalising with a short-handed strike at 50.35, the killer blow coming when the impressive Rudkin completed his hat-trick and secured two points for the visitors when he beat Jacob Midgley at 55.31.