Game Preview - Halifax @ Georgia
Apr 28, 2023
The Halifax Thunderbirds’ season will come down to the final game of the season, as the team battles with the Georgia Swarm for the final East Division playoff spot on Saturday night at Gas South Arena. Opening face-off is slated for 8:00 p.m. AT.
Win and In
The Thunderbirds currently hold down the fourth and final seed in the East Division with a 9-8 record following a big 15-6 win against the New York Riptide last weekend at Scotiabank Centre.
Georgia currently sits at 8-9 following a Week 21 loss to Rochester, however, the Swarm hold the season tiebreaker currently with Halifax after a 17-7 win at the start of April.
With this game being the only one remaining on the schedule for either team, the winner of this game will take the final playoff spot in the East.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds come into the season's final game on an offensive high, scoring 14-plus goals in four of their last five games. However, that lone game came against the Swarm, who held them to seven goals. They’ll be ready for a bounce-back effort against them this time around.
The pairing of Austin Shanks (15G, 37A) and Randy Staats (33G, 53A) has provided consistent offence for the team over the last two games, with each bagging 13 points apiece. Shanks paced Halifax's last game against New York, potting a hat trick and eight points while Staats had four goals and six points – with several highlight-reel plays sprinkled in throughout the night.
The team has also gotten big games from Clarke Petterson (28G, 51A), Ryan Benesch (30G, 41A), and captain Cody Jamieson (21G, 45A).
Chris Boushy (33G, 13A) and Eric Fannell (27G, 22A) each returned to the lineup last weekend and chipped in four total goals, with Boushy netting a hat trick.
Jake Withers will also make his final push for history this weekend, as he chases down the single-season record for face-off wins. He needs 26 draw wins to set the new record. He also set a new career high in loose balls last weekend along with surpassing the 900 loose-ball mark for his career. If that wasn’t enough, Withers also jumped to third all-time in franchise history, vaulting John Grant Jr with an 18 LB outing against the Riptide.
Warren Hill played arguably his best game of the year a week ago, turning away 30 shots and holding New York to just six goals – the season-low allowed by the team. He holds an 11.03 goals-against average and a .770 save percentage.
Scouting the Swarm
The Swarm have a pair of 100-point scorers on their roster in Andrew Kew (43G, 63A) and Lyle Thompson (44G, 57A).
Kew had a day against Halifax last time out, finishing with 10 points in a decisive win. But he was aided by massive games from Shayne Jackson (32G, 59A) and Brendan Bomberry (23G, 37A), who finished with nine and seven points, respectively.
The Swarm’s scoring leader missed the team’s last game against Rochester, so his status will be a question heading into this game, but with the season on the line for both teams, expect Kew to factor in. If not, rookie Teioshontathe McComber is the next man up on the lefty side.
Bryan Cole also played a big role as a two-way threat, pitching in a goal and six points. He’ll be massive for the Swarm once again in this game.
By far the biggest factor in the Swarm’s mid-season turnaround has been the play of rookie goaltender Brett Dobson. The 11th overall pick in the 2022 Draft has put himself in the Rookie of the Year conversation after taking over the net full-time for Georgia.
He sits with an 8-6 record on the year to go along with a 10.23 GAA and .790 SV%. He stopped 41 shots in the last meeting between these teams and will have to come up with another massive performance in this game.
Milestone Watch
- Ryan Benesch needs six assists to pass Shawn Williams for eighth all-time in NLL History
- Cody Jamieson needs six points to pass John Grant Jr for first all-time in franchise history
- Randy Staats needs six points to reach 500 for his career
- Graeme Hossack needs five points to reach 100 for his career
Broadcast Info
Thunderbirds fans in Canada can watch Saturday’s matchup on TSN+ through the TSN App. Fans in the United States can tune in through ESPN+.