Thunderbirds Hit the Road for Double Header This Weekend
Feb 27, 2020
The Halifax Thunderbirds will hit the road this weekend for a double header south of the boarder. First up for the 7-2 Thunderbirds is the 6-3 North Division Rival, Buffalo Bandits. This matchup will be the featured NLL Game of the Week. The ‘Birds will then continue on to Connecticut for a Sunday evening matchup against the 5-3 New England Blackwolves.
“We just have to focus on one game at a time,” said Clarke Petterson. “We can’t look past Buffalo because they are a great team so that’s where our focus is now.”
The Thunderbirds will look for a fast start like their last time in Buffalo. Before the new year, the ‘Birds came out flying as they took a quick 10-4 lead at half. They were able to shut down the Bandits’ offence completely in the second quarter and limiting them to only one goal in the third. Mike Burke lead Halifax’s offensive charge with eight points (2+6).
“Offensively we have had success when we share the ball and move hard without it,” said Petterson. “We need to continue to spread the defence out and then attack with confidence when we see an opportunity.”
Warren Hill made 39 saves while Buffalo split time between Vinc and Buchan. Collectively, the two made 35 saves in the loss. Meanwhile, Buffalo tested Withers with four different opponents at the X. However, Withers went 22-28. The Thunderbirds will need to shut down the Bandits key offensive players; Josh Byrne, Chris Cloutier and Dhane Smith in order to continue their winning ways.
The Buffalo Bandits are backed by all-star goalie Matt Vinc who will be facing the Thunderbirds for the fifth time since signing with Buffalo in free agency during the 2018 offseason. Since his signing, he holds a 2-1 record against the Thunderbirds.
On the offensive side of the ball, Josh Byrne led the way with a hattrick in the team’s last meeting with Halifax. After only scoring one goal in the third quarter, the Bandits offense will look to change the script on Saturday night.
Buffalo made a trade Thursday afternoon bringing Frank Brown and Dan Lintner to the Bandits. This will be the first time with their new squad Saturday night. Faceoff is set for 8PM AST and can be streamed for free on B/R Live as part of the NLL Game of the Week.
The Thunderbirds make their way to New England on Sunday evening for the first and only meeting of the season. New England snapped their three-game skid last weekend with a commanding 18-7 win over the Rochester Knighthawks. The Thunderbirds will look to stop offensive powerhouse Callum Crawford who had 4 goals and 8 assists last weekend.
Arguments can be made for New England’s Doug Jamieson as the backbone of this team. Standing at a 5-3 record between the pipes, D. Jamieson holds an 8.98 GAA (Goals Against Average) which sits him atop the best statistically in the NLL. In order for Halifax to be successful, they are going to need to find a way past D. Jamieson in the cage despite his early season success.
“We need to continue to play our style of game,” said Petterson. “We have yet to put 60 minutes of lacrosse together, we have been great in stretches but we need to be more consistent with our play.”
The Blackwolves will be in a similar boat as the Thunderbirds with both teams playing two games this weekend. The matchup is slated for 6PM AST and can be streamed on B/R Live. Both games can be watched at The Pint in Halifax.