Tough weekend as Bulldogs slip to pair of defeats

TOUGH TIMES: Bulldogs’ Eden Cooper puts the Sheffield goal under pressure. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.

IT proved another tough weekend for Bradford Bulldogs who are still looking for their first win of the 2025-26 NIHL North Two season. 

Dave Williams’ side went into a weekend bringing games at Kingston Sharks and at home to Sheffield Titans looking for a positive response to the previous weekend’s heavy defeat at Sutton Sting. 

But a bad first period in each encounter left the Bulldogs with too much to do against both opponents, losing out 7-3 at Kingston before suffering a 13-5 defeat on home ice to the Titans. 

On both occasions, the Bulldogs allowed their rival to build 4-0 leads inside the first 20 minutes. 

On Saturday, Kingston established dominance through goals from Ethan Daintith, Charlie Powell, Liam Grant and former Bulldogs’ forward Tom Mardell, who made the move east in the summer. 

TAKE A BOW: Things got a little heated during the Bulldogs clash with Sheffield on Sunday. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium prints.

Another former Bulldogs’ forward - McKenzie Barker - made it 5-0 to the hosts at 33.02 before the visitors finally got on the board when Steven Cox’s effort from a tight angle squeezed in at the near post at 37.05. 

The third period was only 22 seconds old when the Sharks restored their five-goal cushion through a power play strike from Nathan Sutcliffe. 

The Bulldogs gave themselves faint hope of a remarkable comeback when they reduced the deficit to 6-3 through Connor Medley and a second for Cox at 47.28. 

But that hope was swiftly extinguished when another former Bulldogs’ forward - Declan Kime - struck from the resulting face-off to make it 7-3. 

It was a case of deja vu at The Pound the following day when strikes from Sam Parkin, Lewis Swaffield (2) and Harry Roebuck put unbeaten Sheffield 4-0 ahead inside 13 minutes. 

PATHWAY: Josh Stockton scored twice in the 13-5 defeat to Sheffield at The Pound on Sunday. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.

Josh Stockton replied for the hosts with just a minute of the period remaining to offer hope of a second period fightback but that was ended when the Titans hit three goals inside the first five minutes, a second for Roebuck and a hat-trick strike for Swaffield being followed by a strike from Tom Humphries. 

Aaron Larner made it 8-1 just after the halfway mark before Humphries bagged himself a second of the night just as the period ended. 

The impressive Swaffied struck twice more to take his tally to five and his team’s lead to 11-1. 

A second for Stockton at 49.28 was followed nine seconds later by a goal from Abbie Culshaw as the Bulldogs battled to salvage some pride. 

Lyndon Taylor hit back for the Titans at 51.04 before Rocco Mallon made it 11-4 just 11 seconds later. 

Scott Howells added to his two earlier assists when making it 13-4 on the power play at 55.32, although it was the Bulldogs who had the last word, Aaron Jordan posting a power play effort of his own just over a minute later.

The Bulldogs now have a weekend before resuming NIHL North Two action at home to Sutton Sting on Saturday, October 4 (this fixture has been moved from the original scheduled date of Sunday, September 28)