Game Preview - Halifax @ Toronto
Mar 20, 2024
The Halifax Thunderbirds kick off a crucial three-game road trip when they head to Hamilton for their final regular-season meeting with the Toronto Rock at FirstOntario Centre on Saturday night. Opening face-off is set for 8:00 p.m. AT.
Head to Head
This will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams. Toronto took the first contest 11-9 in Halifax back in early January.
While the teams have matched up closely previously, Toronto has defended their home floor over the last few years, with the last Halifax victory at FirstOntario Centre coming during their first visit to the rink back in 2021 – an overtime victory.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds got a massive win under their belt in their penultimate home game of the year against Panther City last weekend, but they’ll need to keep that offensive efficiency rolling into this one against a strong opponent.
Clarke Petterson’s (33G, 46A) breakout year continues, as he had another six-point outing last game, while Austin Shanks (19G, 47A) finished with a hat trick and five points. He’s also on pace to have a new career-high in points come season’s end.
Ryan Benesch (36G, 26A) continues his electric season, as he leads the Thunderbirds in scoring. Fellow veteran Cody Jamieson (15G, 33A) has also put up some big numbers in recent games, providing timely scoring for his squad. Dawson Theede (24G, 20A) will be a big factor in this game, and he’ll be leaned on to provide secondary scoring, as will Aaron Woods (11G, 15A), who bounced back with a four-point outing against Panther City.
Saturday could be a milestone night for defender Jake Withers (6G, 8A). Currently sitting at 237 loose balls for the season, he needs just 10 more to set the NLL single-season record. He’s also been a pivotal piece to the team’s transition game alongside Graeme Hossack (5G, 10A) and Ryan Terefenko (6G, 11A). Terefenko has been on a tear as of late, posting four points over his last two contests.
Warren Hill didn’t see consistent rubber until the second half of last week’s game, but he posted a 34-save performance for his seventh win of the year. He currently sits with a 10.99 goals-against average and a .770 save percentage.
Scouting the Rock
Toronto comes into this game on the heels of a back-and-forth game against Buffalo that ended in them coming out on the losing end. But they were able to score 12 goals and held the lead for the majority of that game.
Mark Matthews (23G, 56A) continues to be the player the Rock expected him to be when they acquired him via trade this past summer. He and lefty running mate Corey Small (33G, 26A) currently lead Toronto in scoring with a handful of games left in the year.
One individual that the Thunderbirds did not face in the last meeting was star righty Tom Schreiber (14G, 40A), who has been on a tear since returning from injury. He’s averaging six points a game this season and makes the right side that much more dynamic for the Rock. He’ll play alongside Chris Boushy (25G, 27A), Dan Lintner (13G, 15A), and Josh Dawick (11G, 13A).
Dan Craig (19G, 26A) is also a player that defences need to be aware of on the left with Matthews and Small operating. He’s coming off a career-best season in 2023.
The Rock’s defence has taken some significant hits this year, with reigning Defender of the Year Latrell Harris missing the year with an ACL injury while captain Challen Rogers has also missed time. But they still have Mitch De Snoo, Brad Kri, Chris Corbeil, Bill Hostrawser, and others to hold down the fort.
But the biggest piece for the Rock this year has been Nick Rose. The veteran netminder continues to play well and be a pillar for Toronto. Among eligible starters, Rose leads the league in goals-against average (9.55) and saves (544), and is tied for first in save percentage (.800).
Every Game is a Playoff Game
Down the stretch, the Thunderbirds are looking to not only cement themselves in the playoffs but lock up their first-ever home postseason contest in Halifax.
That starts this week with a playoff rematch against a familiar opponent. But the next three games are massive, as the Thunderbirds won’t return to the friendly confines of Scotiabank Centre until their final game of the year on Apr 20.
A win against Toronto would go a long way in the standings, with teams in the middle of the pack being separated by razor-thin margins. Halifax will head on the road for games against a surging Rochester team and Vancouver to end the road trip, but in front of friends and family at FirstOntario Centre, this game holds a playoff-like feeling to it.
Milestone Watch
- Ryan Benesch needs five goals to surpass Dan Dawson for fourth all-time (552)
- Jake Withers needs 10 loose balls to set the single-season NLL record (247)
- Clarke Petterson needs three loose balls to reach 300 for his career
- Cody Jamieson needs six loose balls to reach 800 for his career
- Austin Shanks needs five loose balls to reach 300 for his career
- Dawson Theede needs eight points to reach 100 for his career
Broadcast Info
Thunderbirds fans can catch the team in action live on CTV2, as well as TSN+ in Canada and ESPN+ in the United States