HEAD coach Andy Brown declared himself satisfied after seeing Bradford Bulldogs get their NIHL Division Two North campaign off to a flier by beating Nottingham Lions 8-0.

It was a near-perfect way for the club’s senior team to mark their return to competitive action after 18 months away.

“As starts go, that was really good,” said Brown. “We’d had a good couple of workouts in our warm-up games against Altrincham the weekend before but nothing beats having something on the line when you get out there.

“It was great to get back to proper, full-on, competitive hockey. There were some good performances out there for us and, judging by that display, it looks good for the season ahead.”

The hosts got off to the perfect start when Josh Reynolds fired home with just eight seconds on the clock and were 4-0 ahead after the first 20 minutes through further strikes from Liam Salt (two) and Josh Stockton.

Brown’s team maintained their momentum in the second period, with Reynolds adding his second and Connor Medley getting on the scoresheet too.

Matt Barlow got in on the act with a shorthanded effort before doubling his tally soon after.

No further goals came in the third period, but the hard work had already been done in a dominant display.

Matt Viney weighed in with three assists, with Stockton and Gavin Penn almost as effective at setting up their teammates, as they grabbed two apiece.

Elsewhere, the only other Division Two game on the opening day of the season saw Sheffield Titans win 4-2 at Coventry Blaze.

This weekend sees the Bulldogs Under-10s, Under-14s and Under-16s get their campaigns off to a start.

The Under-14s host Nottingham in North One at Little Horton Lane on Saturday (5.45pm face-off), while the Under-16s welcome North One rivals Sheffield on Sunday, the game scheduled for a 5.10pm start.

The Under-10s take on Widnes, Manchester and Telford in a mini-tournament at Widnes on Sunday, starting at 4.15pm.

The Seniors are next in action on October 3, away to Sheffield Titans.