With files from Noah Guest. The Toronto Rock were yelling with jubilation at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, N.S. on Sunday night, as they defeated the Halifax Thunderbirds 12-7 to win the franchise’s seventh NLL championship and the first since 2011. The Rock were ecstatic, hugging each other tightly, screaming and crying. As they left the field, they were running to their dressing room with little pieces of the cut-up…
Nick Rose Leads Toronto Rock to NLL Finals
Kids today call them ‘juice goals’: the ones scored in the biggest moments of a game, maybe a highlight-reel marker, perhaps by a player who doesn’t normally hit the back of the net. If there are ‘juice goals’, it would imply the existence of ‘juice saves’ and, with 1:35 remaining on the clock and the Toronto Rock leading the San Diego Seals 13-8 on Saturday night Nick Rose stopped Wes…
The Halifax Thunderbirds advance to the NLL Finals
On Feb. 21, the Halifax Thunderbirds lost 9-8 to the San Diego Seals, putting their record at three wins and seven losses. The Thunderbirds had scored 8.7 goals per game, which was one of the least productive offences in the league, and it looked like they were on their way to missing the playoffs for the first time since they moved to Halifax from Rochester in 2019. Fast forward…
Swarm blowout the Thunderbirds 21-10 in game two
The Georgia Swarm dismantled the Halifax Thunderbirds 21-9 to win game two of their NLL semi-final series on in front of a sold out crowd at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. The Swarm force a winner-take-all game three Sunday night in Halifax. The 11-point win is the largest playoff win since the Buffalo Bandits beat the Rochester Knighthawks 20-8 in the eastern quarter-finals in 2023, and the largest a road…
Resilient Thunderbirds ready for their semi-final series against the Swarm
The Halifax Thunderbirds walked back to their dressing room at Rogers Arena in Vancouver last Friday night, down 7-1 at the end of the first half against the top-seeded Vancouver Warriors. Conventional wisdom would suggest they were about to play their final half of the season before being eliminated in the one-game knockout NLL quarter-finals. But the Thunderbirds weren’t deterred. “I don’t think it was as bad as the scoreboard…
Seals send Mammoth home after controversial game winner
“NLL Rule 67.3 governs crease violations by attacking players, stating that a player who enters the crease and subsequently leaves it cannot be the first player to touch the ball or interfere with a defender upon exiting. A violation results in a turnover and disallowed goal.” “NLL Rule 17.81 covers the Criteria of Challenge for coaches, allowing reviews on specific, high-stakes game situations, including goals, crease violations, and shot clock resets. Challenges typically focus…
Georgia wins first playoff game since 2017, knock off defending champs
Going into the single elimination opening round of the 2026 NLL Playoffs, the Georgia Swarm hadn’t won a playoff game since 2017. Depending on how you look at it, that may be some good juju because the Swarm won the NLL Championship that year. Update the “most recent playoff victory” statistic to 2026. The Swarm smoked the defending champion Buffalo Bandits, 17-10 Saturday night, advancing to the next round. Make…
Oshawa uses seven-goal run to beat Bandits
The season finale for the Oshawa FireWolves and the Buffalo Bandits came to us from Tribute Communities Centre on Saturday night. These two teams were in opposite positions, with the FireWolves sitting towards the bottom of the standings, looking to have a feel-good moment to end their season. The Bandits resurrected their season and needed a win to solidify a first-round home playoff game. It was Tucker Out Lymphoma Night…
Halifax punches ticket to playoffs in final week
Week 21 action came to us from Scotiabank Centre in Halifax as the Thunderbirds and the visiting Ottawa Black Bears were set to clash. There were massive implications in this game, and the point was simple: win and you’re in. The middle of the standings was completely logjammed and these two clubs were right in the thick of it. The Nest was set to bring the energy right from the…
Buffalo wins seventh straight, jump into third place
Week 20 saw a rivalry renewed. The Rochester Knighthawks made the hour-long trip down the I-90 to take on their crosstown foes, the Buffalo Bandits. This clash had some serious implications, as both teams had quite a bit to play for. The Knighthawks were in “must-win” territory, as they were fighting for their playoff lives. The Bandits came in on a six-game winning streak and needed to continue it for…