Another year and the same story for the Halifax Thunderbirds.
For the third straight season, the team finished with a record of 10 wins and eight losses in the regular season. Even with the record, there was hope they would move deeper into the playoffs after having the league’s second-best offence and a deep defence. However, the Thunderbirds came out flat against the Albany FireWolves in the quarterfinals, losing 9-3 and ending their season.
“I think it was an up and down season, if I’m being honest,” said head coach Mike Accursi. “We had some highlights and good things that happened, but obviously, at the end of the year, not making it through the first round of the playoffs again was extremely disappointing and frustrating simply because I don’t think we performed very well in that last game. I think there were some good things that we did, but I look at it as more of the same as what we’ve done in the past. Frustrating more than anything.”
There were times this season when the Thunderbirds looked excellent, whether it was outscoring the eventual champion Buffalo Bandits 12-4 for a comeback win or blowing out the Saskatchewan Rush 19-6. But there were other times when they didn’t step up. They blew a 7-2 lead to the Vancouver Warriors in their second last game of the season to sink their chances of hosting the quarterfinals at home. They also blew an 8-4 lead against the Philadelphia Wings and a 7-4 fourth-quarter lead against the Toronto Rock over the course of the season.
When it came to playoff time, the Thunderbirds produced their worst post-season performance since their time in Halifax. Their offence, which scored 228 goals this season, could only score three against Albany in a six-goal loss.
“This year we didn’t perform. I thought defensively we were very good, but you know, offensively, we just didn’t show up,” said Accursi. “We had the second highest scoring offence in the league this year, which I think is the second season we have accomplished that, which is phenomenal. But when push came to shove, and we really needed to step up in a big game, we were unable to do so. With a veteran team, for me, that is very frustrating. It is one of the reasons you have those veteran guys is for big games and knowing they are going to be able to step up in those situations and do really well. And unfortunately, we didn’t step up and have a good outing in that last game.”
With three seasons of the same result with a similar group of players, the team is expecting changes.
“I feel like we’ve had this group for a little bit, and I’m sure there’s going to be some changes because I feel like we’ve been good, but we haven’t been able to crack that first round and be good enough to get to that next level,” said the team’s assistant captain, Graeme Hossack.
What those changes are going to be will be decided soon. Most of the core group is under contract for next season. Ryan Benesch, Luc Magnan, Austin Shanks, David Brock and Randy Staats are all up for new deals at the end of the season.
The team has already resigned their whole coaching staff, but it’s a different story with the roster.
“We’d be foolish not to make some adjustments, and that’s inevitable when you come up short like we have in the past,” said Accursi. ”I think you have to really look at where you’re lacking; we need to get younger in certain areas. I think that is something that definitely showed this year that we need to be a little more athletic in the front end, and that’s going to require some changes.”
Outside of bringing in younger forwards, don’t be surprised if the Thunderbirds try to snag a few players with proven playoff experience from Buffalo, Colorado, Toronto or Albany.
Personnel changes aren’t the only aspects the Thunderbirds are looking at. They are doing a deep dive at everything to see what could give them an edge, and another change could be practice habits. The Thunderbirds have been practicing mid-week in Six Nations, Ont. This means long car rides for players who live outside the Six Nations/Brantford area and sometimes the whole roster can’t make it. They’re considering arriving in Halifax a day prior to the game and practicing then, so it’s easier on their schedules and less travel.
“Playoff time is a culmination of everything,” said Hossack. “To me, it is more about preparation. What can we do differently week to week that allows us to prepare better and make sure we’re on the same page and make adjustments.”
Even though this season ended in disappointment, there were still noteworthy performances, led by NLL Transition Player of the Year Jake Withers. Withers set the NLL single-season loose balls record with 282 and, for the second consecutive year, was three face-off wins shy of breaking the single-season wins record, finishing with 360 wins. He set a career-high with seven goals and tied his personal best with 16 points.
“It’s fun to play with him,” said Hossack. “Having him at the face-off X, we know there is a 70 per cent chance we’re getting that ball… I think it gives us that many more opportunities to be able to score, and it makes the game much easier. Even on the defensive end, he’s taking the ball away, making plays happen. He’s an impact no matter where he is on the floor, and it shows how good of a player he is. I want him to bring that every season and every game and I can trust him to do that.”
On the offensive end, Clarke Petterson became the first Thunderbirds to hit the 100-point plateau, scoring 104 points to finish 10th in league scoring and lead the team in scoring by 19 points. The 26-year-old just completed his fourth season in the league.
“He was outstanding,” said Accursi. “If you’re looking at a guy who performs week in and week out, he’s definitely it. He gave us everything every week, and there was no doubt in my mind that 24 was going to show up and give his best effort…He’s going to be a star in this league there is no doubt in my mind. He’s an emerging star, and he is going to be a big part of the long-term success of Halifax.”
Withers wasn’t the only Thunderbirds to win an award this year. Thunderbirds president and chief executive officer John Catalano won Executive of the Year for the second time. He previously won the award after the team’s first season in Halifax in 2019-20 season. The Thunderbirds finished fourth in average attendance this year with 9,165 average fans per game, including selling out their final game with 10,196 fans.
It is a remarkable achievement for Catalano and the Thunderbirds business team. When they arrived here, they had to grow interest in the Thunderbirds with their first three seasons being impacted by the pandemic. It was only in the last two seasons that they could regularly sell all their games. But efforts like visiting schools to run lacrosse sessions, being involved in charitable events, and helping with minor lacrosse in Nova Scotia have helped grow their connection to the city.
“We’ve had a lot of guys do a lot of in-market stuff… being able to share the game they love has brought so many opportunities,” said Hossack. “Being able to share that with the community of Halifax is awesome and I’ve got to meet so many cool young kids, so many people who are passionate about lacrosse as well. The fact that it’s showing in the fan support shows how much I think guys love the game and that Halifax is a great city that has welcomed us with open arms. We just need to bring a championship there.”
Now, management is getting to work to find the right ingredients to create a championship-winning recipe. It starts Monday with the Panther City dispersal draft, and then free agency opens up afterwards.
