Justin Ivey, Co-Editor
Lacrosse is Awesome©
The #8 Halifax Thunderbirds hosted the #4 Georgia Swarm on Saturday night at Scotiabank Centre for Game 2 of their semifinal series. Halifax had stolen Game 1 in Georgia and could clinch a spot in the NLL Finals with another win. Georgia, meanwhile, needed a bounce-back performance after being held to just seven goals in the opener to force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Sunday. Any concern about the Swarm offense disappeared quickly. Georgia reached double digits in the first half behind big nights from Lyle Thompson (4G, 5A) and Kaleb Benedict (3G, 6A). Halifax stayed within striking distance thanks to Jason Knox (4G) and Clarke Petterson (9A), but Brett Dobson (9GA, 44SV) and the Swarm defense limited the Thunderbirds to one goal in the third quarter. A five-goal run spanning the first and second quarters gave Georgia control, and Halifax never got closer than two goals the rest of the way—or closer than four in the second half. The Swarm pulled away in the fourth quarter, finishing with a team-record 21 playoff goals while holding Halifax to just three second-half scores. Game 3 is set for Sunday, May 10, at 6:00 PM EDT. Final: Georgia Swarm 21, Halifax Thunderbirds 10.
Jeff Henrick (2G) opened the scoring just over a minute into the game to give Georgia an early lead, finishing a powerful overhand bounce shot off a strong seal. Cody Jamieson (2G, 5A) answered for Halifax a little more than two minutes later with an overhand shot from outside. Richie Connell (2G, 1A) then put Georgia back in front with a sidearm shot while the Swarm were shorthanded. Halifax capitalized on its first power play of the night soon after, as Mike Robinson (2G, 1A) quick-sticked home a feed from Petterson 22 seconds later. From there, Georgia took over the quarter with three straight goals to break the tie. Bryan Cole (1G, 5A) scored after a sharp swim move to the net. Shayne Jackson (3G, 7A) added another from up top with 4:31 left, and Thompson scored on the power play with 2:45 remaining. Georgia led Halifax 5-2 after one quarter.
Thompson opened the second quarter by finishing a pass from Cole into the top corner after finding space in the middle of the zone. Benedict quickly added another for Georgia with an overhand shot on the run around a screen. Casey Wilson (1G, 1A) stopped the Swarm run with a tough inside goal, scoring through contact after a pick-and-roll. Georgia answered immediately when Benedict quick-sticked a cross-crease pass from Connell. Halifax responded with back-to-back goals from Knox and Jamieson, the latter coming just nine seconds after the faceoff, to cut the deficit. Byrne halted that push by fighting to the crease and scoring while falling. Knox added his second of the night with 3:51 left in the half, and Robinson followed on the next possession to bring Halifax within two. Georgia regained control late in the half with a power-play goal from Byrne from behind the net with 1:36 left. Byrne struck again with one second remaining after the Swarm drew up a play with an extra attacker. Georgia led Halifax 11-7 at halftime.
Georgia kept rolling in the third quarter. On its first possession, Byrne scored his third straight goal by diving across the crease after a hard dodge, a shot that proved to be the last one Warren Hill (12GA, 17SV) allowed. Knox completed his hat trick nearly three minutes later to keep Halifax within reach, but the Swarm answered again a minute later when Kean Moon (1G, 1A) scored from outside, beating Drew Hutchinson (9GA, 13SV) high stick side. Thompson then buried his hat-trick goal from range with 5:29 left. Georgia added a power-play goal from Jackson, and just 14 seconds later Henrick scored again to put the game firmly in the Swarm’s control. Georgia led Halifax 16-8 after three quarters.
Georgia scored first again in the fourth quarter when Connell came out of the box, took a pass from Thompson, and scored from distance through traffic. Benedict made it a 10-goal game 46 seconds later with his hat-trick goal. With 9:31 left, Jordan MacIntosh (1G, 1A) scored in transition by leaping across the crease and picking the top corner, extending the Swarm run to seven straight goals. Brendan Bomberry (1G) stopped the run 20 seconds later with a bounce shot from the crease, but Thompson answered with Georgia’s 20th goal on a wrist shot from distance. After two Halifax slashing penalties put the Swarm up five-on-three with 7:18 left, Jackson scored on a quick stick from beside the crease. That 21st goal set a franchise record for most goals in a playoff game. Devlin Shanahan (1GA, 1SV) replaced Dobson in net with just over four minutes remaining and made a save on the first shot he faced, but Knox beat him on the next shot with under two minutes to play. Final: Georgia Swarm 21, Halifax Thunderbirds 10.
Game 3 will be played Sunday, May 10, at 6:00 PM EDT at Scotiabank Centre because of scheduling conflicts at Gas South Arena. The winner will advance to the NLL Finals.