Matt Zambonin/Freestyle Photography/OBB
For the first time in NLL history, the Saskatchewan Rush will make a visit to the nation’s capital. The Black Bears and Rush will appear on NLL Friday Night on TSN for the first time this season.
The Rush took the Buffalo Bandits to a deciding Game Three last May in the NLL championship their fourth appearance in the finals since relocating from Edmonton in 2015.
Saskatchewan is coming off a 16-13 win over the Calgary Roughnecks, while the Black Bears are coming off a 16-13 loss to the San Diego Seals and a bye week.
In the loss, the Black Bears bounced back from a 6-0 deficit to get within a single goal, thanks in part to defenceman Kevin Brownell scoring his first NLL goal since April 12, 2024.
The late Black Bears rally couldn’t erase the large deficit, but it did show signs that the offence was clicking, with offseason trade addition Rob Hellyer leading the team with three goals and five assists.
Ottawa has used that bye week to get back on the same page, with the start to last game top of mind. Communication on the floor was a big focus and was emphasized at shootaround on Friday morning.
The game will also double as the Teddy Bear Toss, and the Black Bears are teaming up with the Ottawa First Responders Foundation this year to collect the stuffed animals. The first Black Bears goal of the second quarter will see hundreds of teddy bears and stuffed animals rain down from the crowd at Canadian Tire Centre.
Watch: You can watch every regular season NLL game on NLL+ free of charge. Tonight’s game will also be available on TSN 3 and TSN 5 in Canada, TSN+, and ESPN+.
The Opponent: Last season, the Black Bears and Rush played during the final week of the regular season, with the Rush coming out on top 16-7.
The Stat: In the loss, Jeff Teat scored a hat trick, continuing his run of success against Saskatchewan. In three career games against the Rush, Teat has 11 goals and 14 assists, good for 25 career points.
“Being switched on right away, they come out fast. They want to move the ball quickly, they’re not afraid to shoot, early, late, no matter what time in the game. So we’ve got to make sure we’re switched on at all times. And I think we’ve prepared for that these last two weeks, so we’re ready for that.” — goaltender Zach Higgins on the key to tonight’s game
“Just being unified. I think making sure everyone’s comfortable with the page we’re on, and that’s to speak up when we need to. Keeping everybody on the same page has been the goal we’ve had the past week. We’ve been making sure everyone’s aligned with our systems.” — goaltender Zach Higgins on bouncing back from a Week One loss
This year, the Black Bears will play four Friday home games and five Saturday home games from November to April.
Next up is a Friday home game against Saskatchewan on Dec. 12 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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