Photo by Candice Ward/National Lacrosse League)
Staring down the barrel of an eight-goal deficit in the second quarter of Saturday’s game in Las Vegas, the Ottawa Black Bears knew the odds were stacked against them.
But goaltender Zach Higgins — fresh off signing a two-year contract extension — was perfect for almost 30 straight minutes from there after a quick breather where he was replaced by Tyler Carlson, giving the Black Bears offence a chance to get back in the game.
A beautiful diving goal off a faceoff from defender Brent Noseworthy was the first step towards slimming the deficit. Not known for his offensive prowess, Noseworthy had just four previous NLL goals in 75 games. That sparked something within his teammates.
Former Desert Dog Rob Hellyer added his second of the night, and Connor Kearnan also scored before halftime, cutting the lead to five. In the third quarter, Reilly O’Connor scored twice in the span of five minutes, and transition Jake Stevens powered through a crowd of three Las Vegas defencemen to make the Las Vegas lead just two.
A power play goal from Jeff Teat followed, and then so did a dunk from Larson Sundown, the forward’s specialty move. After a lengthy review for a potential crease violation, the goal stood, tying the game at nine to the disbelief of any casino owners in attendance and leaving them shaking their fists, puzzled at a visitor overcoming their long odds.
The game stood tied for seven minutes from there, until Desert Dog Mitch Jones finished off a hat trick with just two minutes to play, ending Higgins’ perfect stretch and serving as the final knockout punch. “Credit to Zach Higgins, he’s one of the best in the league, but we stuck with it,” said Jones after the game.
Hellyer finished with two goals and four assists, and remains the NLL’s leading scorer through four weeks of play. Jeff Teat added four assists in addition to his goal, and Larson Sundown three in addition to his.
Noseworthy and fellow defender Kevin Brownell earned assists on Hellyer’s first goal, while Jake McNabb picked up his first NLL point since 2020 with an assist on Hellyer’s second.
This year, the Black Bears will play four Friday home games and five Saturday home games from November to April.
Next up is a Saturday home game against Philadelphia Wings on Dec. 27 at Canadian Tire Centre.
You can view the team’s entire schedule here, purchase Season Seats here, and Single Game tickets here.
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