Widnes Wild secured maximum points over the weekend, after two back-to-back wins over the Bradford Bulldogs.
Following on from the 5-4 win in Bradford on Saturday, the Wild secured another victory over the Bulldogs in a heated affair at Planet Ice last night.
Despite trailing by two goals to nil, the hosts showed great spirit to stage a comeback and come out 5-2 winners on the night.
FIRST PERIOD
Much to the surprise of fans, the packed out venue had to endure a slow start to the game.
Both sides struggled to break the deadlock in the first period, as the Wild struggled to take advantage of a series of powerplays.
The Bulldogs received their first penalty due to interference, and not long after they were penalised once again for tripping.
Both Daniel Fay and Peter Toth were on the receiving end of clashes in the opening exchanges, as the two sides went into the first break tied in a stalemate.
SECOND PERIOD
The game sprung into life after the restart, with the Bulldogs taking the lead barely a minute into the second period.
The visitors then received another two-minute penalty for roughing, before doubling their advantage, giving the Wild a mountain to climb in order to get anything from the game. H
Hope was restored moments later however, when Tom Jackson picked out Danny Bullock, who finished off a smart move off emphatically.
That goal proved to be the turning point, as the Widnes fans raised their voices, hoping to lift their team as they pushed for an equaliser.
The leveller did come with six minutes of the second period remaining. The visitors once again were penalised for roughing and the hosts took advantage of their extra man when Jakub Hajek fired in to tie the scores at 2-2.
With less than three minutes left in the period, Wild went in front for the first time,when Dani Haid was played in after good work from both Mikey Gilbert and Bez Hughes, leaving the scores at 3-2 going into the final twenty minutes.
[Tempers flared in Widnes Wild’s victory over the Bradford Bulldogs]
THIRD PERIOD
The final period was barely a minute old when Bez Hughes extended the lead.
The visitors struggled to cope with the Wild’s forward thinking, allowing MJ Clancy to pick out Hughes, who had time to place his effort beyond the net minder.
The Bulldogs continued with their aggressive approach as they looked to find their way back into the game, picking up another two-minute penalty, this time for slashing.
However, the game was put beyond doubt when Mikey Gilbert assisted Hughes who grabbed his second goal of the evening.
Frustration grew among the visitors towards the final whistle, and a series of ill-tempered incidents resulted in FIVE Bulldog players being sent to the bin.
The game finally got underway again, and Wild were able to see through their three goal advantage, leaving the scores at 5-2 in favour of the hosts.
After the game, MVP Bez Hughes spoke to merseysportlive about his thoughts on the game:
You can find more match reaction from Widnes Wild’s victory here.
Next up for Mike Clancy’s side is a trip to Blackburn next Saturday, as they face the basement boys of the National Ice Hockey League 2.
You can keep up to date with Widnes Wild through our twitter page and our website.
