Shawn Palmer, Toronto Rock Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©
On a night where the New York Riptide (6-11) ended up celebrating some big milestones, the visiting Halifax Thunderbirds (10-7) ruined the celebration with a 16 – 13 road win. Jeff Teat (2G, 8A) set two NLL records on Saturday night by setting the mark for most points in a season by a rookie and being the first rookie to score more than 100 points in a season. Steve Orelman (39 saves) also set the rookie record for most saves in a season. The game went back and forth but stayed tight. The largest lead of four goals didn’t come until the fourth quarter and Halifax hung on for the 16 – 13 win to guarantee them a spot in the playoffs while eliminating the Riptide. Final Score: Halifax-16, New York-13.
The first quarter was a high scoring affair as both teams combined for twelve goals in the first fifteen minutes. New York opened the scoring when Dan Lomas (3G) took a high-to-high shot to beat Aaron Bold (25 saves) over the shoulder for the early lead. Less than a minute later Halifax tied it up when Austin Shanks (5G, 3A) beat his defender down low and dove across the crease to beat Orleman to the far side. The Riptide came right back 23 seconds later when Callum Crawford (5G, 3A) scored with a sidearm shot around his defender beating Bold through the legs to regain the lead. Clarke Petterson (3G, 4A) took a low-to-low shot that beat Orleman to the far low corner to tie it up 2-2. Halifax grabbed their first lead of the game while on the power play, when Shanks received a feed on the crease from Cody Jamieson (5A). He threw three fakes to get Orleman out of position and beat him to the far side to make it 3 – 2. The Riptide tied it up when Lomas received a pass from Connor Kearnan (1G, 2A) and his quick stick shot beat Bold through the legs. Halifax regained the lead when Chris Boushy (3G) took a sidearm bounce shot from the top that beat Orleman over his glove hand to make it 4 – 3. Less than a minute later while on the power play, Lomas received a pass from Teat with a high overhand shot that beat Bold over the shoulder for his hat trick goal. While on another power play, Teat passed to Crawford and he beat Bold to the far side which gave the Riptide a 5 – 4 lead. This assist gave Teat the rookie record for points in a season. Twenty seconds later Colton Armstrong (1G) scored while on transition. He went the full floor, and his shot went through the five hole on Orleman to tie the game 5-5. The Riptide regained the lead as Jake Fox (1G, 2A) went behind the net and jumped across the crease and dumped the ball into the far side on Bold to make it 6 – 5 for New York. With nine seconds left in the first quarter, Petterson fired a low to high shot that beat Orleman to the stick side up high to end the quarter tied at six. The shots on goal after one were Halifax 16 and New York 9. At the end of the first quarter the score was tied, 6-6.
After the outburst of goals in the first, it was almost a guarantee that it would slow down in the second quarter. Halifax did open the scoring in the second as Graeme Hossack (1G, 2A) scored in transition. His short side shot beat Orelman to give Halifax a 7 – 6 lead. Crawford got that one back when he went low from the goal line and his shot squeezed through Bold’s legs to tie it up 7-7s. A few minutes later Orleman made a save that gave him the most saves by a rookie in NLL history. Just over halfway through the quarter, Boushy receives a feed on a pick and roll from Shanks, goes in and beats Orleman between the legs to restore the Halifax lead at 8 – 7. Shanks extended the Halifax lead when his overhand outside shot beat Orleman to the short side for his hat trick goal. The shots on goal at the end of the half were Halifax 26 and New York 21. At the half, Halifax led New York 9-7.
Halifax opened the scoring in the second half less than thirty seconds in as Nonkon Thompson (1G, 5A) scored from outside with a sidearm shot that beat Orleman to the short side top corner and made the score 10 – 7. The Riptide answered back as Teat passed to Kearnan and his low shot beat Bold through the legs. With that assist, Teat became the first rookie to score 100 points in a season and it was 10 – 8 for Halifax. While in transition, Jay Thorimbert (1G, 1A) picked up a loose ball, went coast to coast and beat Bold through the legs to make it 10 – 9. Two minutes later while on the power play Shanks picked up a rebound and his low shot beat Orleman to the far pipe to make it 11 – 9 for Halifax. Shanks scored his second in a row and fifth of the game as he beat his defender low and his bounce shot beat Orleman to the short side giving Halifax a three goal lead. The shots after three quarters were Halifax 42 and New York 28. At the end of three, Halifax led New York 12-9.
Halifax again jumped out quickly in the fourth. Petterson was left wide open and he cut to the net taking a shot that beat Orleman over the shoulder for his hat trick goal just 22 seconds in. A minute later Crawford went against two defenders and reached around Bold beating him to the far side for his fourth of the game making it 13 – 10 Halifax. The Thunderbirds regained the four goal lead when Stephen Keogh (1G, 1A) received a pass behind the net from Petterson and came around to the front to beat Orleman over the shoulder to make it 14 – 10. New York answered back when Fox passed to Crawford whose twister shot beat Bold to the far side for this fifth goal of the night to cut the lead to 14 – 11. Teat scored his second goal of the night when he received a pass from Tyler Digby (1A). He threw a fake and beat Bold to the stick side to make it 14 – 12. Teat scored his second in a row, this time on the power play with a sidearm shot that went over Bold’s shoulder into the top corner for his hat trick goal making it a one goal game at 14 – 13 Thunderbirds. Nineteen seconds later, Boushy increased the Halifax lead when he came from behind the net and his low to high shot beat Orleman to the short side for his hat trick goal and it was 15 – 13 for Halifax. New York pulled their goalie in the last minute for an extra attacker but in transition Tyson Bell (1G) picked up a loose ball and went in and put the ball into the empty net cementing the win and a spot in the playoffs. The shots on goal at the end of the game were Halifax 54 and New York 38. Final Score: Halifax-16, New York-13.
The three stars of the game:
Jeff Teat – 2 goals, 8 assists
Austin Shanks – 5 goals, 3 assists
Callum Crawford – 5 goals, 3 assists
Up Next:
The Halifax Thunderbirds (10-7) visit the Rochester Knighthawks (4-13) on Saturday, April 30 at 7:00 PM EST.
The New York Riptide (6-11) visit the Albany Firewolves (8-9) on Saturday, April 30 at 7:00 PM EST.