Juniors Review: Bulldogs Under-18s and Under-10s take to the ice

BOWING OUT: Tom Mardell, Jack Mickevicius, Ollie Massey and Jess Wooding, along with Kimian Jordan (not pictured) all played their final games as junior players on Sunday.

BRADFORD BULLDOGS Under-18s faced-off against local rivals Leeds Junior Knights for the second time in the space of just over a week - the two teams serving up an entertaining clash at The Pound. 

Smarting from the previous weekend’s 15-3 defeat in Leeds, the Bulldogs got off to the best possible start when Tom Mardell put them ahead with just 20 seconds on the clock. 

It wasn’t long before the visitors were level, though, Tyler Keller beating Jack Mickevicius at 2.28 before Jake Wigginton put Leeds ahead in the 10th minute.

The teams went in all-square at the first break, however, when Ollie Massey fired home with a precision finish on the power play at 17.13. 

Leeds responded with a power play effort of their own just 42 seconds into the second period from Edgars Vengis after Bradford were reduced to 5-on-3 for hooking calls on Massey and Riley Carlisle. 

TWICE AS NICE: Captain Daragh Spawforth scored twice in Sunday’s 9-5 defeat for the Bulldogs Under-18s against leeds. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.

But it was all square again not long after the halfway point when captain Daragh Spawforth beat Ollie Booth from the top of the left circle, the home team’s joy short-lived however when Vengis doubled his tally by jamming home a rebound at 34.25 to make it 4-3.

Leeds were then able to stretch their lead before the second intermission when Lawrence Dean combined nicely with Wigginton to beat Mickevicius with a smart finish at 38.54.

The Bulldogs roared back again after the restart, when Mardell found Danny Harrison on the left from where he cut in and beat Booth to make it a one-goal game yet again at 43.43.

But Leeds then enhanced their chances of victory significantly, scoring two goals in as many minutes. 

Grace Cooper was first to strike, her effort from the left boards finding its way through traffic to make it 7-4 at 45.14 before Dean grabbed himself a second with a rocket from the top of the right-circle into Mickevicius’s top right-hand corner.

Spawforth gave the Bulldogs a glimmer of hope when he backhanded past Jacob Midgley into the roof of the net to make it 7-5 at 53.53, but it was as close as they got, Leeds closing out the game with further efforts from Noah Percival and Matiss Magone for a hard-fought 9-5 win.

Elsewhere, Bulldogs Under-10s were in action, taking part in the latest X-ice jamboree, this time at Sheffield, where they and the hosts were joined by regular rivals Sutton and Nottingham.

Goals from Stevie Abdy, Oscar Graham (2) and Conor Donaghey earned the Bulldogs a deserved 4-4 draw against Sutton in their opening game, with assists being shared by Evan Bulmer, Robson Baggott, Graham and Oliver Toney.

Bulmer was on target in the next game which saw the Bulldogs go down 7-1 against a strong Nottingham team before an 8-0 loss followed against the Sheffield ‘Blue’ team. 

THAT’S THE SPIRIT: Oscar graham was awarded the Bulldogs Under-10s Spirit of the Game Award af the Sheffield Jamboree.

To close the tournament out, the Bulldogs took on a Sheffield ‘Grey’ team and gave a great account of themselves, with Bulmer Toney and Baggott among the goals, as well as Jackson Livingstone with his first of the day. Bulmer also picked up two assists, with Denis Sprogis and Graham also getting a helper apiece.

Oscar Graham won the team’s Spirit of the Game award. 

Team manager, Aimee Clarke, said: “Overall it was a promising jamboree. We started off strong against Sutton Sting but we struggled to hold our own against Nottingham and the Sheffield Blue team. 

“But it was encouraging and great to see the team come back fighting against Sheffield Grey in the last game of the afternoon.”