Bulldogs Junior Review: Captain shoots ‘Magnificent Seven’ for 18s to tame the Wild as Under-12s toil

SEVENTH-HEAVEN: Captain Daragh Spawforth scored seven goals in the Bulldogs’ Under-18s 10-4 win at Widnes Wild. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.

DARAGH SPAWFORTH produced a ‘Magnificent Seven’ to help Bradford Bulldogs’ Under-18s bounce back from their narrow opening day loss to Kingston Sharks with an impressive win at Widnes Wild.

The Bulldogs’ skipper waited until the third period before really cutting loose, firing in five goals as the visitors’ finished the game strongly to run out comfortable 10-4 winners at Planet Ice Widnes. 

Jack Mickevicius impressed in net by turning away 26 of the 30 shots on his net, while D-man Daniel Johns picked up the Spirit of the Game award for another solid display on the back-end.

OPENING SALVO: Lydia Lutwyche got on the board first for the Under-18s in the 10-4 win at Widnes Wild. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Photos.

For 40 minutes, it was tough going for the Bulldogs, who fell behind inside five minutes to a Luke Alston strike when he back-handed past Mickevicius on a breakaway.

The visitors levelled at 9.50 when Lydia Lutwyche reacted quickest to a rebound to beat Harry Bird after Oliver Massey had driven the net and seen his effort denied.

The Bulldogs then forged ahead with a short-handed strike at 15.02, Tom Mardell driving down the right boards before finding an unmarked Danny Harrison in front of net from where he rifled home from five yards out.

AWAY DAY JOY: Bulldogs’ Under-18s in action at Widnes on Saturday.

The lead doubled a little over two minutes later when Spawforth opened his account when going coast-to-coast to beat Bird to make it 3-1.

The second period was a more even affair, Widnes making it a one-goal game again when Sam Daintith’s speculative effort sneaked past Mickevicius at 24.32.

The Bulldogs went in at the second break two goals to the good again, however, when Spawforth jammed the puck home from in front at 35.25 after Harrison’s initial close-range effort had been saved by Bird.

Again Widnes hit back to make it a one-goal game, Nathan Wilson taking a pass from Liam Yarwood to drive down the left before beating Mickevicius at his near post with less than two minutes of the third gone.

But two goals in the space of 22 seconds seemed to settle the affair, Spawforth sealing his hat-trick from in front at 46.36 before Massey got in on the act to make it 6-3 when he turned in the right circle before firing home.

NOW HEAR THIS: BUlldogs’ coach Andy Brown instructs his players during the first intermission. PIcture: Andy Bourke.

Spawforth made it four for the game when he drove down the middle at 51.28, the lead stretching to 8-3 when he blasted home from in front just over two minutes later.

Widnes bagged a fourth through Alston in the 55th minute, but the last word was had by Spawforth, who grabbed his sixth from the right circle on the power play at 55.33 before rounding off the scoring just under three minutes later after a stretch pass from Harrison found him free to cut in from the left and pick his spot. 

Earlier in the day, the Under-12s had a tough encounter against Sheffield IHA at Ice Sheffield, going down 8-0. 

Rory Hill and Louis Oates struck within the first minute, while two more strikes followed in the fifth minute from Bradley Law. 

The seventh minute saw Hill and Oates double their respective tallies, Law sealing his hat-trick at 10.45 before Jack Woodhead rounded off the scoring at 14.49.