Game Preview - Halifax vs Saskatchewan
Mar 11, 2025
The Halifax Thunderbirds will be looking to get back into the win column when they take on the Saskatchewan Rush at Scotiabank Centre on Friday night. Face-off is set for 7:00 p.m. AT.
Head to Head
The Thunderbirds sit with a 4-2 all-time record against the Rush. However, Saskatchewan did take the first half of this season series back in December at SaskTel Centre in overtime.
Halifax sits at 2-1 against the Rush in The Nest, having taken the last two meetings in Scotiabank Centre.
Clarke Petterson has led the Thunderbirds with 15 goals and 34 points in six games against Saskatchewan. On the other side, Robert Church has 12 goals and 25 points over the same span.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds found success offensively again last weekend against Toronto. However, they came out on the wrong side of the final score.
Playing without leading scorer Randy Staats (17G, 49A), the Birds got big games from Clarke Petterson (20G, 38A), Cody Jamieson (11G, 9A), and Thomas Hoggarth (21G, 20A).
Mike Robinson (13G, 16A) had another goal and an assist last week, but what has set him apart this year has been his hustle on loose balls. He sits with 64 to this point, and he’s a pivotal piece when it comes to earning re-possessions for the Halifax offence.
Ryan Terefenko’s (15G, 13A) five-game point streak came to an end against the Rock, but don’t expect the Thunderbirds’ transition ace to be kept quiet for very long. He’s getting his looks regularly in transition this year.
Jake Withers had a goal and an assist, and the reigning Transition Player of the Year is sitting just under 60 percent at the stripe for the season. Graeme Hossack also chipped in a goal in transition.
Warren Hill was lifted last game, with Drew Hutchison finishing out the game. Hill has won five of his last six starts and has turned his season around after a tough start to the campaign. Last time out against the Rush, Hill had a 41-save performance but was saddled with a loss in overtime.
Scouting the Rush
Saskatchewan is finding ways to come out with victories, whether it's close-scoring games or offensive shootouts. Their last two games have been the former, with the Rush holding their opponents to single-digit goals in each.
Robert Church has missed the Rush’s previous two games, but the production has been strong from leading scorers Zach Manns (30G, 29A) and captain Ryan Keenan (16G, 35A).
Austin Shanks (20G, 27A) is also having a productive year in his first season in Saskatchewan. Watch for Brock Haley (13G, 20A), Mike Triolo (14G, 11A), and Clark Walter (12G, 11A) to provide solid secondary scoring for the Rush as well. Rookies Levi Anderson (4G, 8A) and Josh Zawada (4G, 4A) have also made a handful of appearances each this season.
Matt Hossack and Jake Boudreau have led this defensive unit all year, and the pair sit in the top two for caused turnovers this year with 27 and 22, respectively. Boudreau also has 23 points in transition while Hossack has 14 points of his own. Ryan Barnable and Mike Messenger also like to push transition when given the opportunity.
The biggest game-changer this year for the Rush has been Frank Scigliano. The Saskatchewan starter continues to be in the running for the NLL Goaltender of the Year with his strong play. The veteran has a 9.23 GAA and a .800 SV% in 11 outings so far this year.
Milestone Watch
- Nonkon Thompson needs four loose balls to reach 100 for his career
- Tyson Bell needs 11 loose balls to reach 800 for his career
- Clarke Petterson needs one assist to pass Mike Accursi for sixth all-time in franchise history (223)
- Cody Jamieson needs 21 points to become the 17th player in NLL history to reach 1,000 points for a career
Broadcast Info
Thunderbirds fans can tune into all the action on Friday night on TSN+ and NLL+ in Canada and ESPN+ in the United States.