Match report - Bulldogs v Sharks
LET’S GET THIS STARTED: Bulldogs’ players huddle around goalie Sam Bolwell’s net ahead of Sunday’s NIHL North Two opener against Kigston Sharks at The Pound.
BRADFORD BULLDOGS got their NIHL North Two campaign off to a flying start when they came out on top in a hard-fought Yorkshire derby at home to Kingston Sharks.
After going 3-2 down early in the second, the Bulldogs produced a strong response, scoring five unanswered goals before eventually running out deserved 7-4 winners.
The result and parts of the performance will give Dave Williams’ team confidence going into their first away trip of the season this Saturday at Coventry NIHL Blaze.
It was the hosts who broke the deadlock at The Pound on Sunday, good work down low by Josh Stockton seeing him find Declan Kime, who squeezed the puck home from three yards out at 11.49.
Less than two minutes had elapsed before the Sharks were level, though, a face-off win in the left-circle by Stan Beaumont allowing Dylan Smith to beat Sam Bolwell low to her right in the Bulldogs’ goal.
Good work by Paul Lane saw him switch the puck inside to the advancing Stockton, who danced his way through the Sharks’ defence before rounding goalie Evan Byron-Bates and slotting home for a 2-1 Bulldogs lead at 15.07.
But in keeping with a competitive first period, the Sharks hit back for a second time, Josh Beddoes’ shot being parried by Bolwell, with Leo Simpson first to react to nudge the rebound in at 18.14.
With Jacob Brownlie still in the box at the start of the second on a kneeing call, the Sharks took full advantage on the power play, a fortuitous bounce off the boards in the corner seeing the puck fall kindly on to the stick of Smith who beat Bolwell over her right shoulder just 38 seconds in.
Three minutes later, the scores were level again, Harry Harling feeding Kacper Andrukianiec in the neutral zone from where the Bulldogs forward drove towards goal and fired home at 23.47.
The Bulldogs regained the lead just under 10 minutes later when good pressure down low resulted in the puck falling to Chris Waites who forced it home from close range.
The first half of the third period was where the game was effectively decided, Josh Guy, Stockton and Connor Medley combining well to allow the latter to shoot through a defenceman and past Byron-Bates from eight yards at 44.16.
Just 87 seconds later, the Bulldogs extended their lead further, Andrukianiec’s long-range pass following a face-off win in teh Bulldogs’ zone finding its way through to Tyler Hall, who raced clear to find the net for a 6-3 lead.
Another face-off win - this time in the Sharks’ zone - saw the Bulldogs strengthen their grip on the game, Medley working the puck back to Kime whose first-time shot through traffic eluded Byron-Bates at 49.22.
Harry Moxon beat Bolwell from the top of the right-hand circle to reduce the arrears in the 56th minute but it proved nothing more than a late consolation as the Bulldogs enjoyed a positive start to their campaign.