Shanks scores Sock Trick; Thunderbirds beat Swarm, move to 6-1
Feb 19, 2022
HALIFAX, NS (February 19, 2022) - In their long-awaited return home, the Halifax Thunderbirds (6-1) defeated the Georgia Swarm (4-6) 15-10 at Scotiabank Centre on Saturday night.
Austin Shanks led the way offensively for the Thunderbirds, scoring a game-high six goals while adding an assist. Clarke Petterson (1G, 6A), Cody Jamieson (1G, 5A), Stephan Leblanc (6A), Stephen Keogh (3G, 1A), and Kyle Jackson (2G, 1A) also had big offensive outings.
Warren Hill secured his sixth victory on the season with another sensational performance, turning away 35 shots on the night.
Jordan MacIntosh finished as the Swarm’s leader with a goal and five assists. He was helped offensively by Brendan Bomberry (2G, 3A), Shayne Jackson (2G, 3A), and Lyle Thompson (2G, 2A).
The game started off fast and furious, with Halifax hopping out to an early 2-0 lead off goals from Keogh and Shanks. However, the Swarm answered back with a three-goal run of their own. The back and forth continued to end the opening frame, as the Thunderbirds got goals from K. Jackson, David Brock, Jamieson, and Shanks to give them a 6-4 lead after the first 15 minutes.
Shanks continued his hot start to the contest by scoring another pair in the second quarter. Jackson also added his second, while Petterson got the monkey off his back with his first goal in three games to end the half. Jordan Hall and S. Jackson scored for the Swarm in the second, but the Thunderbirds rolled into the half with a 10-6 advantage.
The offensive outburst from the Thunderbirds also chased Georgia starter Mike Poulin from the net, leaving backup Craig Wende to man the cage for the remainder of the contest.
In the third quarter, the Thunderbirds began to flex their muscles on both ends of the floor. The offence came out firing, scoring a pair of goals in the first minute of the second half. Chris Boushy nabbed his first of the game after finding himself open off a pick-and-roll play with Petterson. Keogh added on with one of the goals of the year, throwing a between-the-legs shot that found its way through Wende for Halifax’s 12th goal of the night. Keogh completed the hat trick with an outside shot and celebrated with his signature touch of the turf just minutes later.
Hill capped off the third quarter with a save-of-the-year candidate, robbing S. Jackson blind on the back post with a stick save in the closing seconds. The Halifax starter even had to smile and nod at the effort on his way back to the bench at the end of the third.
The Swarm were able to win the final quarter 3-2, but it wasn’t enough to pull back into the game, as the Thunderbirds carried the five-goal lead to the end to defend home turf and improve to 6-1 on the season.
After going 3-0 on this most recent homestand, the Thunderbirds will head on the road to face the Philadelphia Wings at Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 26. They will return home to Scotiabank Centre to take on the Vancouver Warriors on Mar. 5.
Ticket Info: Fans can secure season tickets to watch the return of championship-calibre professional lacrosse in Halifax by visiting https://ticketatlantic.co/thunderbirds or by calling or texting 902-334-2333.