Juniors Review: Bulldogs Under-14s enjoy big win but 12s, 16s and 18s lose out
IT proved a mixed bag of a weekend for the Bulldogs’ juniors with four team in action from Under-12s through to Under-18s.
It was the Under-14s who were to light the lamp in a winning capacity when they beat Nottingham 11-3 at Bradford Ice Arena on Saturday.
The damage was done in a blistering opening seven minutes by the home side, who went ahead inside two minutes when Danny Harrison slotted home from in front following a forceful break from Will Durgan.
Frank O’Sullivan made it 2-0 just under two minutes later when he and Harrison combined to create a 2-and-0 breakaway and it was the captain who struck next when he forced the puck past Harvey Kembery at the second attempt from close range at 4.26.
O’Sullivan then doubled his tally at 6.10 and although Nottingham quickly got on the board through Euan Woodward’s powerful marker, the Bulldogs’ No 9 completed a quickfire hat-trick when he reacted quickest to a rebound in front and fired home to make it 5-1 at 6.44.
Remarkably, after such a frantic opening, that was how it stayed until more than half the second period had elapsed, Will Durgan getting in on the act with two well-taken goals inside the space of a minute before Harrison completed his hat-trick by skating from inside his own zone to finish neatly at 26.54 to make it 8-1.
A swift three-man passing exchanged involving Durgan and Harrison then allowed O’Sullivan to tap in from close range on the power play at 28.08 before Alfie Langridge ensured Nottingham didn’t go in at the second break without anything to show for their efforts when he finished off a breakaway at 29.06.
Durgan made it a hat-trick of hat-tricks when he carved open the defence at 35.57, while O’Sullivan completed a memorable day when he bagged his fifth of the night at 40.28.
Woodward fired home a piledriver from distance 23 seconds later to make it 11-3, which was how it stayed until the final hooter.
Just before, the Bulldogs’ Under-12s hosted Kingston Sharks in an entertaining encounter which could have gone either way.
The game was effectively won in the first period, though, when the visitors got themselves 3-0 ahead.
Elliot Beddoes got the Sharks in front at 9.18, the lead doubled exactly a minute later by Jenson Hargrave before the Bulldogs fell further behind with just over a minute to go in the period when Ellis Foston struck.
Try as they might, the Bulldogs couldn’t find a way back into the game until the third period when Kyle Bower drove forward from his own zone and beat the Sharks goalie from distance at 40.26.
But that was as close as the hosts could get to their opponents, who held on for a 3-1 win.
Short on numbers they may have been but the Under-18s were big on commitment and spirit when they pushed a full strength Coventry team all the way at the SkyDome Arena on Saturday.
The Bulldogs matched their hosts blow for blow throughout and can count themselves unlucky not to have taken anything from the game.
After finding themselves 2-0 down through strikes from Sam Knark and Peyton Fincher, the Bulldogs got back in the game through a Tom Mardell effort at 14.46.
Mardell - who plundered four goals in the previous week’s win against Billingham - maintained his eye for the net when he levelled for the visitors just over three minutes into the second period.
The hosts regained their composure and their lead soon after, though, when Max Parham scored on a delayed penalty call at 24.58.
A frantic end to the second period saw a further exchange of markers, though, Daragh Spawforth equalising at 37.53 only for Coventry to edge ahead again through Domovic Whittingham 33 seconds later.
Again the Bulldogs came roaring back, though, Oliver Massey firing home at 43.08 to square things off at 4-4.
But two goals in the space of as many minutes put paid to the visitors’ sterling efforts, Ben Howdle making it 5-4 at 44.51 before Knarc struck just 46 seconds later, his second for the evening knocking the stuffing out of the visitors who had no more comebacks left in them.
On Sunday, the Under-16s came up against a strong Sheffield team at Bradford Ice Arena.
Heavily outshot throughout, the Bulldogs were still very much in the game after the first period, netminder Jacob Midgley keeping out all but one of the 22 shots of his net, beaten only by Harry Roebuck’s effort at 11.15.
Despite spending the majority of play in their own zone, the hosts remained in contention for the early part of the second. But four goals in six minutes for Sheffield effectively settled the contest by the end of the second.
Lewis Ball doubled the lead at 22.00 before former Bulldogs’ forward Miles Jones made it 3-0 at 25.04.
A shorthanded effort from Finley Williams followed before Finlay Heraghty got in on the act at 28.55.
A second for Roebuck came in the 35th minute, the rout completed with three goals in the space of a minute from Aiden Dancer, Regan Kidd and a second marker for Ball at 39.34.