Di Miller, NLL Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©
Featured Image: James Bennett
The No. 3 Seed Halifax Thunderbirds played host to the No. 6 Seed Calgary Roughnecks on Saturday April 26, 2025. This started Round One of the 2024-25 Playoffs and the first time in Halifax history that they would host a playoff game. The arena was electric, and the fans’ enthusiasm was definitely a key to the domination by the Thunderbirds. Drew Hutchison would get his first career playoff start in between the pipes and would end up with his first career playoff victory. On the other side, Nick Rose has not been successful in the post season and now sits 6-10 during playoff contests. The Roughnecks tried as they may, but their late surge was not enough, and they would end their season on the road. It was non-stop action from start to finish and the Thunderbirds fans couldn’t be happier to finally see their team moving onto the next round after three previous attempts when they were knocked out in Round One. Final Score: Halifax 16—Calgary 12.
The T’Birds would win the opening draw and after a couple change of possessions, Nonkon Thompson (1g) who was making his NLL playoff debut, got the turnover, broke down the floor and fired a high to low shot past Rose for his first NLL playoff goal just 1:33 in and the home squad were up 1-0. It took only 14 seconds for Halifax to strike again. Clarke Petterson (1g, 5a) would fight his way past two defenders, used a nice swim move and put it far side for the 2-0 lead. The action was intense between the two squads for the next eight and change before the rock would hit twine again. Thomas Hoggarth (3g, 5a) got the rebound out in front, scooped the garbage, and put a nice shovel shot for an unbelievable finish, past an unsuspecting Rose for the three-goal lead. So far, Calgary was being stifled by the Thunderbirds who continued to get the turnovers which kept the Roughnecks defense on the floor. Calgary would finally get the first man up opportunity with 2:27 left in the frame and being No. 1 in the league with 53% on the power play, you’d think they’d get on the board. But again, Halifax was stellar and did not allow the Roughnecks to even get a shot on the net. The T’Birds would go with the empty net for the 6 on 5 to close out the first, Rose would make the save and sent the outlet pass down the floor, it took two bounces & went into the cage ½ second late keeping them off the board in the first. Score at the end of one: Halifax 3—Calgary 0.
The second got off to a slow start with the first marker not going on the board for almost five minutes. However, it certainly wasn’t low on tallies with the two teams combining for eight. Calgary would net their first tally of the night 5:36 in. Jesse King flipped a one-handed pass back to Brayden Mayea (1g) on the doorstep and he put the tally five-hole, and they were on the board 3-1. Three minutes later, Cody Jamieson (3g, 1a) from his offside, fired a laser over the top and bounced it far side and it was 4-1. The game was electric, the fans were pumped, and the players were on fire. The Roughnecks would get their second on the night with 4:45 left in the first half. Tyler Pace (4g, 1a) came flying out of the box, crossed the floor and went far side down low cutting the lead in half 4-2. Over the next four and change, the teams would put up another five with Halifax outscoring Calgary 4-1. Dawson Theede (3g, 2a) fought his way to the middle, and blasted a bounce shot five hole with 4:00 to go and it was 5-2. Calgary would find themselves in their second man up on the night but with Halifax leading the league with 13 short-handed goals, they needed to be careful. Unfortunately, they’d tally number 14, when Theede bullied his way to the cage, twisted and put it back across his body on the far side with 2:44 on the ticker and it was 6-2. In the last 60 seconds, there would be three more tallies. Jesse King (2g, 3a) found some space, faked far side, pulled it back near side and ripped it top cheddar with 52.6 seconds on the ticker and it was 6-3. But Halifax was on a roll and just 17 seconds later, they’d fire on Rose, he would make the initial save, fell down, Mike Robinson (1g, 5a) grabbed the garbage, came around the back of the cage, got a ton of hang time and dunked it over the top for the four goal lead 7-3. In the closing seconds, Halifax would go with the empty net for the 6 on 5 and it’d pay off. Hoggarth was set up behind the cage, Staats fired the pass, and Hoggarth would wrap around and put it into the back of the net with two seconds on the timer to close out the second. Score at the end of two: Halifax 8—Calgary 3.
First Half Stats:
Calgary Roughnecks—SOG 22; Saves 21; Sv% .724; FO 4-12; PP 0-3; PIM 0; LB 32; TO 16
Halifax Thunderbirds—SOG 29; Saves 19; Sv% .864; FO 8-12; PP 0-0; PIM 6; LB 3; TO 10
The third would start off with the Roughnecks going man up just 17 seconds in off a boarding call and they would finally notch their first power play marker. Dane Dobbie (1g, 5a) found a little space and took it to the rack for the man up goal 2:03 in and it was 8-4. But Jake Withers (1a, 12LB) would win the ensuing draw, headed down the floor, found Jamieson set up near the crease, passed and Jamieson would throw a couple of pump fakes and put it at the feet of Rose and it would roll in six seconds later for the five goal lead 9-4. Less than two minutes later, Calgary would get that one back. Drew Hutchison made a great save, but Curtis Dickson (3g, 5a) was right there to pick up the garbage and popped it over Hutchison into the open net 3:16 in and it was 9-5. They’d finally put up their first back-to-back tallies on the night. Dobbie sent a BTB pass to King and with the quick catch and release put it up top far side and they were back to within three 9-6. But the T’Birds would get that one back. While in transition, Trevor Smyth (2g) spun off his defender, and buried it down low for their fourth transition marker on the night and with 6:51 left in the third, they were back up 10-6. Fifty seconds later, Tanner Cook passed to Pace on the back door cut, he threw a couple of pump fakes, stood on the doorstep and as he was falling down, dunked it on the outside and they cut the lead 10-7. Once again, there’d be a gap in the scoring with the final marker going up with 1:52 left in the third. Staats found Hoggarth open near the crease, and with the inside feed, Hoggarth would dive through the crease and put it on the far side to beat Rose in tight notching his hat-trick marker on the night. There would be several penalties to close out the frame with the teams heading into the fourth with Calgary on a four on three. Score at the end of three: Halifax 11—Calgary 7.
The fourth was a scoring barrage as Calgary tried to mount their comeback with 10 tallies going up on the board in the final 15. The Roughnecks would go man down 5:54 in on a cross-checking minor and Halifax would finally put up their first man up tally. On a textbook tic-tac-toe play, Petterson had a nice back hand feed to Randy Staats (2g, 5a) and he put it near pipe 11 seconds into the power play increasing their lead 12-7. Staats would tally another when he put a shot around Rose that took a weird bounce and went in far side 7:08 in and the score was 13-7. The fourth was turning into a ping pong match with turnovers abound and as the clock was winding down with just 4:45 left in the season of one of these two teams, eight tallies would go up on the board. Ethan Ticehurst (1a) in transition, found C. Dickson near the cage, he flipped the pass, and with a diving effort, Dickson sprawled out and with the crease dive, put it inside the far pipe and it was 13-8. The next Calgary goal would come off the board on a challenge call as Jesse King had his toe on the crease keeping the score the same. A minute later, Theede would tally his hat-trick when he spun off his defender, changed directions, and did multiple spin moves before he put an underhand rip far side increasing the lead by six, 14-8. The T’Birds would increase their lead again. With two seconds on the shot clock, Jamieson came out of the box after the penalty expired, used a fake and toe drag and fired it near pipe for his 7th hat-trick in his playoff career and the lead was seven with 3:15 left in the contest. In the next two and half, it was do or die for Calgary and they’d put up four more. C. Dickson from way outside, stepped down and fired a laser far side and it was 15-9. At this point, Roughnecks Bench Boss, Josh Sanderson would pull Rose and send in Cam MacLeod for the remainder of the game. Justin Inacio would win the next draw with 2:16 to go and Calgary would immediately call a time out to set up the play. It took only nine seconds for Pace, who was out in front to put an overhand shot near side and they were within five 15-10. But Halifax would quickly erase that one. Tyson Bell had a heads-up play, saw Smyth all alone and with one hand flipped the ball to him, Smyth threw six fakes and put it through the wickets with 1:48 on the ticker 16-10 Halifax. Time was winding down for Calgary to extend their season. King saw Haiden Dickson (1g, 1a) out in front and with the quick catch and release he got Hutchison going the wrong way and put it near side with 1:28 to go and it was 16-11. Halifax would go man down with 1:13 left on the night and with 37.8 on the clock, Pace got the feed and put it five hole for their second man up tally on the night and that would be it. Halifax got the final possession and would hold the ball as they watched the timer tick down to zero sending the Thunderbirds to the Final Four for the first time in Halifax history. Final Score: Halifax 16—Roughnecks 12.
STARS OF THE GAME:
Drew Hutchison—Halifax Thunderbirds: Saves 38; SOG 50; Sv% .760
Thomas Hoggarth—Halifax Thunderbirds: 3G, 5A
Curtis Dickson—Calgary Roughnecks: 3G, 5A
GAME STATS:
Calgary Roughnecks—SOG 50; Saves 42; Sv% .724; FO 15-31; PP 2-7; PIM 8
Halifax Thunderbirds—SOG 58; Saves 38; Sv% .760; FO 16-31; PP 1-4; PIM 14
NEXT UP:
The Halifax Thunderbirds will now head to the Semi-Finals and will face the winner of the No. 2 Seed Saskatchewan Rush or the No. 7 Seed Georgia Swarm starting the weekend of May 1 thru May 4, 2025. If the Rush win, they will host the first game at Sasktel Centre. If the Swarm win, then the Thunderbirds will host the first game at Scotiabank Centre.
Di Miller, NLL Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©