Buffalo Bandits 11 – Halifax Thunderbirds 10

38 seconds in, Kyle Buchanan opened the scoring in transition, followed by a goal from Clay Scanlan to go up 2-0. While Randy Staats scored twice to even the game halfway through the quarter, the Bandits picked up their very much needed first 5 goal run of the season. The run began with a shorthanded feed from Dhane Smith to Tehoka Nanticoke with 2:50 left in the quarter. Nanticoke would score again in the final minute on a contested putback in front of the net to make it 4-2 Buffalo after 1, and then to open the second quarter, Smith found Ryan Benesch for a goal in his return to the lineup. A minute later, Josh Byrne beat his man in an iso look to get to the net and get back in the goal column after being left goalless the week before. After the Thunderbirds won the ensuing faceoff, Matt Vinc stopped a transition shot by Ryan Terefenko and sent a full floor outlet pass to Matt Spanger who finished in transition for his first goal since returning from injury, his last goal coming February 1, 2025 against Albany. After Clarke Petterson and Ian MacKay exchanged goals in the middle of the second quarter, goals from Cody Jamieson and Petterson in the final 90 seconds made the score at the half 8-5 Buffalo.

The Thunderbirds turned the late goals into a run as Jason Knox got on the board 52 seconds into the new half, followed by Petterson completing the hat trick on the powerplay and cutting the deficit back down to 1. After the goal in close earlier, Josh Byrne got another one to go, this time from outside with 4:36 left in the third quarter, and the 9-7 score stood after 3. Into the fourth, Cam Wyers redeemed himself after taking a penalty 2:30 in with a highlight diving transition goal fresh out of the penalty box to extend the lead back up to 3. But Halifax had one more run in them, as Stephen Keogh rebounded an outside shot from Bo Bowhunter and got his first goal of the season on a diving dunk; it was his first goal in the NLL since April 13, 2024. Bowhunter would score next halfway through the quarter to cut the deficit back to one, and then the Thunderbirds would tie the game down 4-on-3 as Jason Knox rebounded a Keogh saved shot with 3:44 to play. But just as the final Halifax penalty concluded and put them officially on the powerplay, Dhane Smith scored through traffic with 2:25 left on the clock to give Buffalo the lead back, and they would hold on from there to snap their losing streak.

Smith’s game-winner was his first of the game to go along with 6 assists. Ian MacKay had a goal and 5 assists, while Josh Byrne had 2 goals and 3 assists in a strong bounce-back game. Matt Vinc got the win with 41 saves. For Halifax, Clarke Petterson’s 3 goals and 2 assists and Randy Staats’s 2 goals and 5 assists led the way. Drew Hutchison stopped 20 of 24 shots faced after relieving Warren Hill at the conclusion of the 5-0 Bandit run.

Ottawa Black Bears 10 – Rochester Knighthawks 8

Rochester’s start to the game was simultaneously exactly what they needed while meat was left on the bone. Zed Williams opened the scoring, and while Rob Hellyer was able to tie the game shorthanded minutes later, goals in quick succession from Ryan Smith and Graydon Hogg on a tic-tac-toe setup from Connor Fields and Thomas McConvey gave Rochester the early 3-1 lead. The meat? Zach Higgins stopped 18 of the 21 shots he faced in the quarter. Fresh out of the maternity ward, with hospital band still on wrist, Fields scored to open up the second quarter to extend the lead to 4-1. Hellyer got back on the scoreboard 1:40 later, and then on the next Ottawa possession, their 2025 second round pick, Liam Aston, scored his first career goal to cut the deficit to one at the half.

While Hogg was able to get back on the scoreboard in the third, as was Ryan Lanchbury, Higgins made another 13 saves, while the Seneca Nation’s own, Larson Sundown, scored twice in the quarter to help the Black Bears keep pace. And then from there, the Fourth Quarter Black Bears did their thing. Sam Firth rolled back door to pick up the tying goal in the first minute of the final frame before Jeff Teat got free to score for the first time on the night, which was fitting because it was Ottawa’s first go-ahead goal too. A transition goal from Josh Medeiros evened the game at 7, but an offensive penalty led to the Black Bears getting a powerplay goal from Reilly O’Connor, and then with 6:34 left, Teat scored his second to go up 2. While Zed Williams scored his second of the game a minute later, Rob Hellyer finished off the hat trick for Ottawa’s 10th goal, which would be enough to cushion the lead and seal a victory.

The Knighthawks defense were able to play Jeff Teat tightly for the first three quarters, but those two goals helped him finish with 5 points on the night. Zach Higgins made 50 saves in the winning effort, stifling Rochester’s offense after they felt they had turned a corner in Vancouver the week prior. Connor Fields led the team with a goal and 3 assists, but no other member of the offense was able to match that 4 point effort, as Ryan Smith and Thomas McConvey were both held to a single point. Riley Hutchcraft made 33 saves with Rylan Hartley serving his suspension, including 12 saves in the fourth quarter when the Black Bears were able to flip the switch.

Rochester has their final bye week in Week 13 before welcoming the Rush to town before the calendar flips to March.

Week 12 Review

Colorado Mammoth 13 – Las Vegas Desert Dogs 12

While Vegas scored the final three goals to get back within one, the Mammoth had taken two 4 goal runs in the fourth quarter, which were just enough to hold on for a road win. Andrew Kew had 5 goals and an assist, with Will Malcom dropping 6 assists. Jack Hannah and Dylan McIntosh each had 2 goals and 3 assists. For Vegas, Mitch Jones led with 3 goals and 6 assists, while Jonathan Donville had a goal and 6 assists and Chris Cloutier had 4 goals and 3 assists.

Colorado Mammoth 16 – Toronto Rock 8

The Mammoth’s second game of the weekend started with a 5-0 run, and then added another 6 straight goals in the third quarter that turned the game into a rout in their favor over the Rock. Kew built upon his performance the night before with another 4 goals and 5 assists. Braedon Saris added 3 goals and 4 assists, while Malcom and Jack Hannah 6 points each. Mark Matthews led the Rock with 2 goals and 3 assists.

San Diego Seals 13 – Oshawa FireWolves 7

Leading 9-1 at the half, the Seals got themselves back over .500 with a wire-to-wire road win in Oshawa, led by a 9 point effort from Wes Berg and 5 goals and an assist from Ben McIntosh. Chris Origlieri made 40 saves in the win. Tye Kurtz led the FireWolves with 2 goals and 2 assists. Dyson Williams also scored twice.

Saskatchewan Rush 9 – Vancouver Warriors 8 – F/OT

The Warriors led for most of the first half, but the Rush erased a two goal deficit in the third, and while the Warriors re-took the lead halfway through the 4th. But Zach Manns, who led his team with 3 goals and 3 assists, forced overtime in the final two minutes before Robert Church scored the OT winner 44 seconds into the final frame to extend their win streak. Adam Charalambides had 3 goals and 3 assists for the Warriors in the loss.

Calgary Roughnecks 10 – Philadelphia Wings 9

A season-high 3 goals and 3 assists from Riley Loewen and a hat trick from Tanner Cook propelled the Roughnecks to their first home win of the season, sealed with 11 Aden Walsh’s 35 saves in the fourth quarter. Kyle Jackson led the Wings 3 goals and 2 assists. Phil Caputo had 2 goals and an assist in his return to the lineup, matched by Brennan O’Neill.

Georgia Swarm 11 – Calgary Roughnecks 6

The Roughnecks were unable to finish out a two win weekend, as the Swarm completed the season sweep with a 5-0 fourth quarter with 5 different goal scorers. Nolan Byrne led the Swarm with 2 goals and 4 assists, with Lyle Thompson scoring 3 times and Shayne Jackson distributing 5 assists. Brett Dobson made 36 saves in the win, as the Roughneck offense was stagnated for most of the night. Justin Inacio was the bright spot for Calgary, as he had 2 of the 6 goals and won 21 of 22 faceoffs.

Week 13 Preview

Don’t get too disappointed about only 4 games this weekend. There’s 10 the weekend after.

Buffalo Bandits (4-5) @ Vancouver Warriors (6-3) – Friday February 20, 10:00 pm

.500 is right there for the taking, but the Warriors have taken the next step in their trajectory and will look to stomp out any momentum the Bandits gathered in Halifax.

Colorado Mammoth (8-2) @ Toronto Rock (5-4) – Friday February 20, 7:30 pm

The Mammoth head to Hamilton with aspirations of an 8th straight win and a home-and-home sweep. The Rock won the last time these teams played in Hamilton back in 2024.

Halifax Thunderbirds (3-6) @ San Diego Seals (5-4) – Saturday February 21, 10:00 pm

Time is ticking for the Thunderbirds, and they will need to win in San Diego for the first time (albeit having only played there 1 time in the past in March 2024). The Seals won last season’s matchup 13-10.

Saskatchewan Rush (9-1) @ Philadelphia Wings (2-7) – Sunday February 22, 3:00 pm

The Wings and Rush will play some afternoon lacrosse to close out the weekend, with the Rush on the precipice of a potential 9th win in a row. Last season’s matchup in Saskatoon was the first and only time the Wings have defeated the Rush, a 12-11 overtime victory on December 28, 2024.

(Photo Credit: James Bennett)