Latest news with #HalifaxThunderbirds
CBC
11-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Saskatchewan Rush heading to NLL championship final after dramatic OT win
For the first time since 2018, the Saskatchewan Rush are back in the National Lacrosse League championship final. Austin Shanks scored the game-winning goal in overtime Saturday night at Saskatoon's SaskTel Centre, giving the Rush a 10–9 victory over the Halifax Thunderbirds in Game 2 of their best-of-three semifinal. The win completed a 2–0 series sweep and sends Saskatchewan to the NLL final against the two-time defending champion Buffalo Bandits. Stunning comeback in final seconds The Rush were down 9–7 with under a minute to play in regulation when they pulled off one of the most dramatic comebacks in franchise history. Zach Manns scored with 44 seconds left to bring the Rush within one. Then, with under five seconds remaining, Matt Hossack tied the game off a turnover caused by Mike Messenger. In overtime, Saskatchewan earned a power play. Shanks, who spent several seasons with Halifax, scored his second goal of the night to send the Rush to the league final. WATCH | NLL recap of Saskatchewan Rush v. Halifax Thunderbirds: Saturday's win sets up a rematch of the 2016 championship, when the Rush defeated Buffalo to claim their second NLL title. The Rush last won the championship in 2018. Now, with home-turf advantage in Game 2, they'll look to reclaim the title in front of their fans at SaskTel Centre. The series begins Friday in Buffalo before shifting to Saskatoon on Sunday. If necessary, a deciding Game 3 is scheduled for Friday, May 24, back in Buffalo.
CTV News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
A big weekend for the Halifax Thunderbirds
A big weekend for the Halifax Thunderbirds Clarke Petterson of the Halifax Thunderbirds chats about making it to the semi-finals of the National Lacrosse League for the first time.
Calgary Herald
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Calgary Roughnecks bow out of NLL playoffs early with loss to Thunderbirds
Article content Another NLL Cup will have to wait at least another year for the Calgary Roughnecks. Article content Because their bid to capture their fourth such trophy — realistic due to their dynamic personnel — came to a heartbreaking halt Saturday night on the East Coast. Article content A 16-12 loss to the host Halifax Thunderbirds did them in, with the usual bugaboos of slow starts and inconsistency getting the better of their talented high-octane roster in the National Lacrosse League single-game quarterfinal. Article content 'It sucks — it stings,' Roughnecks assistant captain Eli Salama told TSN, moments after the buzzer sounded on their one-step-forward, one-step-backward season at Halifax's Scotiabank Centre. Article content Article content 'It's just a bummer,' continued Salama. 'Like we've got some guys that are getting up there in age, and we don't know how many more years they have left in the game, and they mean a lot to the guys in the room.' Article content Roughnecks legends Dane Dobbie, 38, and Curtis Dickson, 36, who shockingly both arrived back in Riggers gear during a tumultuous off-season for the NLL franchise after bolting for sunny San Diego years earlier. Their return did wonders for a club choked by the hold-out of MVP goaltender Christian Del Bianco at one end and hurting for production at the other. Article content Article content 'Having Dobes and Dicks come back is huge,' Salama said. 'You know those guys were super influential for me as a young guy coming into the league.' Article content When the dynamic duo was wheeling and dealing during the regular-season, it was like magical times again for the Roughnecks, giving them every reason to believe they could ride another run to the league championship. Article content At least not in the first half.
