Game Preview - Halifax vs Ottawa
Mar 17, 2025
The Halifax Thunderbirds wrap up a three-game homestand on Friday night when they take on the Ottawa Black Bears at Scotiabank Centre. Opening face-off is at 7:00 p.m. AT.
Head to Head
The Thunderbirds were able to take the first half of the season series in Ottawa back in February, going on the road at Canadian Tire Centre and coming out with a 14-9 victory in their first-ever trip to the Nation’s Capital.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
Halifax is coming into this game off one of their best offensive outings of the year, and they got contributions across the board from their forwards to win a big game at home.
Clarke Petterson (23G, 44A) had a nine-point night, with six assists during the win. Randy Staats (20G, 51A) also had a three-goal, five-point night. But Mike Robinson’s (16G, 20A) career-high seven points was a highlight on the night.
Thunderbirds captain Cody Jamieson (13G, 13A) had six points last time out. The veteran lefty has six goals and 10 points in his past two outings. Thomas Hoggarth (23G, 21A) and Cole Kirst (5G, 9A) also had two goals and three points each in the victory.
Defensively, the Thunderbirds were able to hold a strong Saskatchewan offence to single digits. Jake Withers had a goal and 16 loose balls while going 17 of 30 from the stripe. Trevor Smyth added a goal in transition while Ryan Terefenko, Colton Armstrong, and Nonkon Thompson also had assists.
Warren Hill took home his sixth victory on the year with a 39-save performance at home. He’s won six of his last seven games. He has a 10.80 goals-against average and a .774 save percentage this year.
Scouting the Black Bears
After starting the year strong, the Black Bears have found themselves in a skid heading down the stretch. They have dropped three straight and five of their last six. They also sit last in the NLL in goals for at this point.
Despite that, there’s no talent shortage in this offensive unit, which is led by Captain Jeff Teat (28G, 38A). The lefty has 15 goals and 27 points in his last four games. The left side also consists of Reilly O’Connor (6G, 10A), Eric Fannell (3G, 16A), and Larson Sundown (18G, 7A)
Ottawa moved veteran righty Kiel Matisz at the deadline, leaving Jacob Dunbar (23G, 15A), Connor Kearnan (12G, 28A), Taggart Clark (8G, 9A), and Travis Longboat (6G, 11A) as their guys the rest of the way. Longboat joined the team from Albany in a four-team trade and has the chance to succeed with the other talents up front.
Ron John was another player who was shipped out on the defensive end, but the Black Bears got Sam La Roue from Buffalo. He joins a defensive unit that features Callum Jones, John LaFontaine, Jake Stevens, Luc Magnan, Reed Kurtz, and Matt Marinier, among others.
Zach Higgins has been a rock in the cage for Ottawa all year. The veteran netminder sits with a 10.64 GAA and a .792 SV%.
Milestone Watch
- Tyson Bell needs six loose balls to reach 800 for his career
- Clarke Petterson needs two loose balls to reach 400 for his career
- Nonkon Thompson needs two loose balls to reach 100 for his career
- Thomas Hoggarth needs 15 loose balls to reach 400 for his career
- Jason Knox needs 12 loose balls to reach 100 for his career
- Cody Jamieson needs 15 points to become the 17th player in NLL history to reach 1,000 career points
Broadcast Info
Fans can tune into Friday’s action on TSN+ and NLL+ in Canada and on ESPN+ in the United States.