Week 17 was shot out of a cannon as the Ottawa Black Bears and Halifax Thunderbirds competed in an instant classic on Canada’s Atlantic Coast. The 9,547 NLL die-hards who jammed Scotiabank Centre hit the Nova Scotia night in a tremendous mood, in the wake of the Thunderbirds’ 17-16 triumph. The T-Birds have now posted the number 17 on the scoreboard in back-to-back weeks, seven days removed from the club’s 17-9 thrashing of the Saskatchewan Rush, who ironically clinched a postseason berth as a result of Friday’s final. Ottawa continues to struggle, going down for the fourth consecutive game, amid allowing 35 goals during their last two outings.
Mar 21: Halifax Thunderbirds and Ottawa Blackbears on March 21, 2025 at the Scotiabank Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Thunderbirds)
The Black Bears grabbed early 4-1 and 6-2 advantages, only to witness the home team reel off four straight to tie the game. The roller-coaster ride further accelerated with Ottawa scoring three in a row, followed by six successive from Halifax, only to be outdone by a four out of five goal surge courtesy of the visitors. With the game tied 15-15, midway through the fourth, the Thunderbirds connected on two blasts, gaining a late 17-15 lead.
Just when it looked like the lights might be turning out on Ottawa, the great Jeff Teat scored with 1:34 remaining, cutting the lead to one. Then, in the closing seconds, Teat had a point-blank opportunity to send the contest to overtime, only for Halifax goalie Drew Hutchison to stand him up as time expired, preserving the dramatic one-goal celebration.
The aforementioned Teat notched a sock trick, to go along with four assists. Reilly O’Connor contributed three scores and three helpers for the hard-luck losers.
Jeff Teat’s 2nd sock trick of the season led @ottblackbears in their loss to Halifax. Teat finished with a 10-point game.
The respective goalkeepers were kept very busy in this wild affair. Despite going down in defeat, Ottawa’s Zach Higgins knocked down 58 shots, while the combination of Hutchison and Warren Hill impeded 36 attempts.
Bandits Clinch Playoff Spot and The Tucker Out Lymphoma Cup
Friday night was a special one in downtown Buffalo, as 18,474 Western New Yorkers filled the KeyBank Center to observe the two-time defending champion Bandits punch their ticket to the postseason, while simultaneously earning victory in the inaugural Tucker Out Lymphoma Cup.
The Bandits’ 13-10 win over the Las Vegas Desert Dogs clinched a first-place finish during the in-season tournament that features Buffalo, Vegas, and the Albany FireWolves. Desert Dogs head coach Shawn Williams presented the trophy to the Bandits at midfield at a postgame ceremony.
The world champs dashed to an 8-0 lead behind two goals apiece via Dhane Smith and Chris Cloutier, later taking an 11-2 separation into the halftime break. After a less-than-stellar first half, the visitors from the Nevada desert outplayed the Bandits in the final 30 minutes, winning the second half by an 8-2 margin, including a 6-1 showing in the fourth.
An 8-0 run in the first quarter made the difference for @NLLBandits in a 13-10 win over Las Vegas.
Smith and Josh Byrne were incredibly generous, combining on 4 goals and a whopping 11 assists, as Cloutier finished with three goals and two assists of his own.
Jonathan Donville played well in defeat, etching three scores and three helpers. Fellow young phenom Jack Hannah was uncommonly quiet for the guys from Sin City, only delivering on one assist.
Buffalo immediately heads to Albany for a Saturday night matchup with the FireWolves, while Las Vegas approaches a bye week losers of four straight.
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