ON TARGET: Abbie Culshaw scored a first-period equaliser for the Bulldogs but they ended up losing 6-3 at Altrincham on Sunday. Picture: Jason Devanney/View From Up Here Photography.
BRADFORD BULLDOGS saw their three-game winning streak brought to an end when they came off second-best in their first meeting of the 2026-27 season with Altrincham Aces.
The Bulldogs were always chasing the game against an Altrincham team who came into the game on the back of a 6-3 win at home to Kingston Sharks the day before.
In the end, they were able to repeat the same scoreline, the Bulldogs gaining late consolation with two last-minute goals.
Player-coach Dave Williams, who saw his side leapfrogged in both the league and Cup standings by the Aces, said: “It was always going to be a tough task playing in their barn, it often is. They were full of confidence from the day before and you could tell.
“But we got punished for our mistakes at vital times and gave ourselves too much to do and let them get a foothold in the game that they never let go of.
“We got a couple of goals at the end there but it was just too little, too late. It would have been great to have extended our winning streak but it wasn’t to be.
“We need to be better when we go to Kingston this Saturday, because it will be a tougher proposition in their rink, bigger ice, so we need to be switched on from the start.
“We can put wins together - we’ve proved that - and we need to get back to doing that again as soon as possible.”
The Bulldogs fell behind in the eighth minute through a Sam Dunford strike, but were level when Abbie Culshaw grabbed her first of the season five minutes later.
The Aces would lead going into the first break, though, when youngster Heath Langlois beat Sam Bolwell with 92 seconds of the first period remaining.
Just over six minutes into the second, Langlois doubled his tally and his team’s lead, the Bulldogs left with a mountain to climb when Alex Williams made it 4-1 at 33.34.
Any hope the Bulldogs had entertained of a comeback during the second intermission were quickly extinguished less than two minutes into the third period when Josh Milnes made it 5-1.
Milnes grabbed his second at 50.26 to make matters worse for the visitors, who were able to grab some consolation late on when Ben Darbyshire and then Connor Medley scored in the final minute.
The Bulldogs stay on the road for the next two weekends, visiting Kingston Sharks this Saturday (face-off 12pm) before returning to Altrincham for a Cup group fixture on Sunday, November 15 (6.15pm).
Their next home game is a Cup group clash against group leaders Sheffield Scimitars 2 on Sunday. November 22.