WITH a play-off spot still very much firmly in their sights, Bradford Bulldogs returned for the second half of the NIHL North Two season with plenty of optimism.

First up in 2023 were Sheffield Titans, who arrived at Little Horton Lane looking to further their own play-off ambitions.

And it was the visitors who prevailed, never looking back after getting themselves ahead inside the first two minutes and thereafter always having enough to keep the hosts at arm’s length.

The Bulldogs impressed during the second period but had too little offensive punch in the first and third, ultimately costing them the game.

They still remain only six points off Sutton Sting in fourth spot with two games in hand, but goals and points need to start coming soon if the Bulldogs are to harbour any realistic hopes of making the post-season.

The tone for the game was set earlty when, with just 77 seconds on the clock, Rhys Howells moved quickly to keep the puck in the Bulldogs zone before driving down centre ice and lifting the puck over Sam Bolwell’s left shoulder.

Just over four more minutes had elapsed before the Bulldogs found themse;ves 2-0 down, a stretch pass from Tom Humphries finding Jacob Brammer who fired over Bolwell’s right shoulder into the roof of the net.

The Bulldogs threw themselves a lifeline shortly before the end of the first, however, when Kacper Andrukianiec found space down the right boards, his shot forced a pad save from Evan Byron-Bates and it was Jason Devaney who was in the right place at the right time to follow up and tap home at 18.44.

In terms of chances, the Bulldogs dominated the middle period but couldn’t make it count for anything, something they were made to pay for in the 37th minute when a drop pass from Euan Williams allowed Humphries to fire one from the top of the left circle, giving Bolwell little chance as it found the top left-hand corner of her net.

With the Bulldogs chasing the game, Sheffield remained on top in the third, the points being sealed when Bolwell’s pad save from Michael Danecko fell kindly for Ben Cutts to backhand the rebound home for a deserved 4-1 win.

This weekend sees the Bulldogs back in action when they host Hull Jets at Little Horton Lane on Sunday, January 15 - face-off 5.45pm.