New-look Bulldogs kick off 2024-25 NIHL North Two season at Billingham

FRESH START: Bradford Bulldogs' head coach, Andy Brown.

IT’S been a summer of change at Bradford Bulldogs as they head into the 2024-25 NIHL North Two campaign with a new-look team.

All-time record appearance maker Dean Boothroyd, club record points scorer Josh Stockton and fellow veteran Connor Medley all retired at the end of last season leaving a sizeable gap to fill at both ends of the ice. 

Forwards Declan Kime and Mikey Speare have also moved on to Leeds Knights 2 in North One and new North Two newcomers Deeside Ducks respectively, while goaltender Sam Bolwell is also no longer around.

Another loss - probably for the majority of games - will be defenceman Joe Howie, who earned himself a two-way deal with Widnes Wild in North One on the back of a strong first season with the Bulldogs. 

But rebuilding is part of the Bulldogs’ DNA, something they do on a regular basis given their development ethos, meaning opportunities will arise for some of the club’s youngsters coming through. 

Thomas Chong is a new arrival among the forwards, while defenceman Lewis Sinclair is a late addition having made the move from North Two rivals Billingham Buccaneers.

Several juniors will be making the step up, although it remains to be seen how often 16-year-olds  Daragh Spawforth and Liam Hine are available given their two-way deals with North One’s Blackburn Hawks. 

Tyler Hall, another Under-18, has also been drafted into the senior team for the first time.

Goalie Jack Mickevicius - who made a number of appearances last season - is one part of the two-way goalie tandem in his first full season as a senior, along with Jake Lowndes, who remains on a two-way with Widnes.

Ahead of Sunday’s opener at Billingham, Bulldogs’ head coach Andy Brown said his much-changed squad would need to adapt quickly in order to prove competitive in 2024-25. 

“We’ve had to say goodbye to some well-established and popular players,” said Brown. “But that gives an opportunity to others to come through and show what they can do. 

“It’s a generally young team we go into the season with, but we’ve got enough experienced heads in there, still, to lead the way.

“We’ve got a tough opener at Billingham, they came into this league last year and performed really well, winning the play-offs. 

“We just need to make sure that we’re competitive and take our chances in front of net when they come. We had a good win there last year, so we’ve got to go there full of belief and backing ourselves.”