Craig Daily Press

Craig — The Moffat County Bulldog hockey club team tasted defeat for the first time this season Saturday, losing the first game of a home double-header against Gunnison, 5-3.

The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the second game, before Gunnison rallied back to tie the game, 2-2.

The loss and tie leaves the Bulldogs with a 13-1-2 overall record, and a 7-1-1 record in Rocky Mountain Youth Hockey Lea­gue play. Gun­nison’s record improves to 1-3-2 in league play, but Mof­fat County coach Jim Hall warned to not be fooled by Gunnison’s record.

“Gunnison is a very good team and coached very well,” he said, noting the team has played league leaders, such as Steamboat Springs, Durango and Moffat County early in the season.

“They’re going to be around” at the end of the season, he said.

Hall said the first game loss was simply a matter of the Bulldogs playing flat.

“We didn’t play well, and they definitely took it to us,” the coach said.

C.J. Walt, Colt Criswell and Joel Pomeroy scored the three goals for the Bulldogs in the first game. Bryce Ponikvar was in goal, stopping 28 of Gunnison’s 33 shot attempts.

In the second game, the Bulldogs took the early lead with Cole Dubois scoring on an assist from Criswell to put the game’s first point on the board, followed by Pomeroy scoring on an assist from Scott Smith.

Gunnison came back with the help of a “fluke goal,” as Hall called it, in the second period and another score in the third.

Spencer Wayman played goalie the second game, stopping 22 of 24 shots, while the Bulldogs attempted 31 shots on goal.

“We played better,” the coach said. “We got our shots on goal up. … We could have won the second game.”

Up next, the Bulldogs visit Grand Junction for a Sunday double-header.

“They play us pretty tough,” Hall said