Bulldogs draw blank on double-header weekend against Altrincham Aces and Kingston Sharks
DOUBLE DELIGHT: Luke Alston battles for possession during Sunday’s NIHL North Two clash with Kingston Sharks at The Pound.Picture: Alien Aerial Photography
COACH Andy Brown said Bradford Bulldogs were unlucky to emerge pointless from a two-game weekend - but they remain on course for the NIHL North Two play-offs..
A poor start proved costly on the road in an 8-4 defeat at Altrincham Aces before the Bulldogs returned to The Pound to play host to Yorkshire rivals Kingston Sharks.
But the derby duel failed to bring any cheer as the Bulldogs were edged out by the visitors 5-4.
‘I felt we battled hard this weekend and maybe deserved to take some points from it,” said head coach Brown.
“On Saturday we got off to a slow start going down by two in the first and then gave up four goals in three minutes to leave us 6-0 down halfway through the game.
“The boys showed good spirit to fight back, winning the remaining 30 minutes 4-2. Ultimately we paid the price for turning the puck over too cheaply.
ONE-ON-ONE: Bulldogs’ netminder Jake Lowndes goes up against Kingston Sharks’ Scott Howells at The Pound on Sunday. Picture: Alien Aerial Photography
“Sunday was a much closer game and could have gone either way. Again, simple errors were our downfall and we gifted them too many chances in our zone.”
In Altrincham - keen to avenge a 6-0 defeat there earlier in the season - the Bulldogs gave themselves no chance when they found themselves trailing by the same scoreline before the halfway mark.
The deficit was reduced to four goals by the end of the second through strikes from Oli Massey and captain Kieron Furlong, only for the Aces to restore their six-goal cushion through strikes from Malachi Budd and Jayson Burgess with just over 10 minutes still remaining.
The Bulldogs salvaged some pride inside the last five minutes, when Furlong doubled his tally before Luca Vince made it 804 inside the last two minutes.
On home ice, the Bulldogs were again always chasing the game, never able to get in front of the Sharks who took the lead through Ellis Martin at 6.37.
Luke Alston - on a two-way from NILH One team Widnes Wild - levelled three minutes later but the Sharks went into the first intermission ahead after Tom Humphries scored shorthanded at 15.45.
CELEBRATE: Luke Alston (right) celebrates one of his two goals against Kingston at The Pound on Sunday. Picture: Alien Aerial Photography
The Sharks’ lead was doubled through a 26th-minute Scott Howells strike but the hosts were quick to get back on level terms.
Cameron Williams fired home from the right circle for his first senior goal to make it 3-2 at 27.30 before, on the power play, Kacper Andrukianiec produced a classy finish to pull his team level 72 seconds later.
The Sharks managed to restore their lead, however, when former Bulldogs’ junior McKenzie Baker beat Jake Lowndes at 34.59 to make it 4-3.
The lead was stretched to two again when Humphries got a second in the 46th minute and although the Bulldogs responded quickly through a second goal for the impressive Alston, that was as close as they could get.