Game Preview - Halifax vs Vancouver
Jan 30, 2025
The Halifax Thunderbirds will be in search of their third win in four games when they return to action on Friday night against the Vancouver Warriors at Scotiabank Centre. Opening face-off is set for 7:30 p.m. AT.
Head to Head
Last year’s meeting between the Thunderbirds and Warriors was the second between the Canadian teams. In their first-ever showdown back in 2022, the Thunderbirds came out on top in front of the fans at The Nest, winning 14-12.
In the late-season clash, Vancouver took the game by a 15-13 score, leaving the all-time series at 1-1.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds’ offence was held to single digits for the second time on the season in their last game against Rochester.
Randy Staats (10G, 33A) continues to lead the Thunderbirds out the front gate. He has seven goals in his last two outings and his 33 assists is top 10 league-wide. Clarke Petterson (10G, 25A) has also been one of the driving forces for this unit all year. He’s posted six-plus points in four of Halifax’s six games.
Mike Robinson (7G, 8A) had one of his best games two weeks ago against Rochester. The rookie has been steady in his outings to open his NLL career.
Thomas Hoggarth (13G, 12A) continues to have a strong year for Halifax. He’s already surpassed his 2024-point total with Calgary and can get hot quickly. He and Jason Knox (8G, 12A) have been big in the secondary scoring department for the Thunderbirds’ offence this season.
Warren Hill was back in the cage for the Thunderbirds in their last game, and he turned away 47 shots but was saddled with the loss. The Halifax starter has a 12.67 goals-against average and a .762 save percentage this season.
Scouting the Warriors
Keegan Bal (16G, 19A) is the top scorer for the Warriors this season. The righty is a focal point for every defence because of his ability to take over games once his shots start to fall.
Adam Charalambides (11G, 17A) is also continuing to become a bigger part of the Warriors’ offence with every passing season. The third-year man is the top option on the left side of the floor for Vancouver. Veteran Kevin Crowley (8G, 13A) has also posted three points per game to open the year. He’s a steady presence that always has solid production offensively.
The Warriors also have some young weapons up front. Rookie Jonathan Peshko (5G, 8A) is finding his way in his first year, and Payton Cormier (2G, 1A) is a natural goal scorer who still holds the NCAA career goal-scoring record.
On the back end, former top-three pick Owen Grant is developing into one of the best young defenders in the NLL. He’s already surpassed his career high in points, and his nine goals and 15 points are good for fourth in scoring on the Warriors to this point in the season. He’s also added 43 loose balls, 11 caused turnovers, and 12 blocks on the season.
Reid Bowering is also going to push hard for offence in transition. The Warriors’ assistant captain has five goals and nine points in seven outings.
Aden Walsh has carried his positive momentum from the end of last season into the first half of the 2024-25 campaign. The 24-year-old starter currently boasts a 9.00 GAA and a .799 SV% while playing every minute for Vancouver.
Milestone Watch
- Dawson Theede needs six loose balls to reach 200 for his career
- Ryan Terefenko needs nine loose balls to reach 500 for his career
- Thomas Hoggarth needs seven assists to reach 100 for his career
- Randy Staats needs 11 points to reach 600 for his career
- Cody Jamieson needs 33 points to become the 17th player in NLL history to reach 1,000 career points
Broadcast Information
The Thunderbirds and Warriors will go head to head as the TSN Game of the Week on TSN1 and TSN5. The game will also be available on TSN+ for fans in Canada and ESPN+ in the United States.