Junior Review: Tough start to 2024 for Bulldogs’ youngsters

LEADING LIGHTS: Charlie Farrow (left) scored four goals for the Under-14s, Jacob Mardell excelled in net in two games on the same day and Daragh Spawforth scored a hat-trick for the Under-16s.

IT proved a tough return to action for Bradford Bulldogs’ juniors - with three teams in action on the opening weekend of 2024.

Saturday may have ended in defeat for the Under-16s, the Under-14s and the Under-12s, but there were a number of standout individual performances.

The Under-16s were first up in a lunchtime face-off at Yorkshire rivals Sheffield, where the hosts dominated possession and went ahead at 3.38 through captain Harry Roebuck. 

Bulldogs’ counterpart Daragh Spawforth dragged his team level at 10.35 but the visitors went in two goals adrift when two goals inside 35 seconds of each other from Lewis Swaffield and Noah Barnes saw the hosts go into the first break 3-1 ahead. 

Sheffield strengthened their grip on the game with second period strikes from Joseph Matthewman and Roebuck and went 6-1 ahead at 32.54.

But the Bulldogs were able to drag themselves back into the game with two more fine individual efforts from Spawforth and thought they had pulled themselves back to within two goals with more than seven minutes remaining only to see their effort disallowed. 

As they continued to push, Sheffield made sure of the points with a Finley Williams strike at 42.50. 

Later in the day, the Under-12s and Under-14s were both in action on home ice. 

The younger age group were first up against Billingham Junior Stars and quickly found themselves trailing, the visitors going 3-0 up inside six minutes before Jonas Mtethwa got the hosts on the board at 7.55.

Thereafter, however, it proved to be a one-sided affair, the Stars forging 8-1 ahead at the end of the first period before making it 9-1 just 51 seconds into the middle period to secure a ‘mercy rule win.’ 

The Under-14s got off to a flying start against Nottingham when they took to the ice shortly after, Charlie Farrow’s fifth-minute opener being enhanced by further strikes from Alfie Edmondson and Thomas Taylor’s shorthanded marker at 6.08.

But two goals apiece from Harley Foster and Tom Hayman, saw momentum swing the other way as Nottingham went in at the first break 4-3 ahead.

Jayden Thomas then doubled the visitors lead just under two minutes into the second period, Farrow replying for Bradford on the power play before Mason Newman’s shorthanded strike made it 6-4 at 19.48. 

Foster’s hat-trick strike exactly five minutes later was countered by Farrow’s own treble marker just six seconds on, only for Nottingham’s Joseph Dawson to respond again less than a minute later to make it 8-5.

Farrow’s fourth of the game just 40 seconds into the third period gave the home side renewed hope, especially with Jacob Mardell - MVP in the Under-16s game at Sheffield earlier in the day - putting in another solid performance in between the pipes.

But when he was beaten by Charlie Butler at 41.11 it signalled the end of the Bulldogs’ hopes as they lost out 9-6. 

This weekend sees the Under-10s host a X-ice tournament at Bradford Ice Arena from 4pm onwards before the Under-16s host Whitley Bay at 5.45pm. Entry is FREE to both events. 

On Sunday, Bulldogs Under-18s host Sheffield (face-off, 5pm, free entry).