Photo: Greg Mason/NLL
The last weekend in November looms large on the lacrosse schedule.
For years, that wasn’t the case in the nation’s capital. But as the Black Bears welcome in the San Diego Seals to begin their second campaign in Ottawa, the city steps more comfortably back into the routine, a routine where a game hundreds of years older than the nation itself takes centre stage.
As with any season, lessons have been learned and adjustments have been made. Like a homeowner settling into their first home, first-time head coach and general manager Dan MacRae has spent the summer renovating his new digs. The result is a roster that all in the team’s neighbourhood believe can finally put the franchise’s playoff drought to bed, once and for all.
Acquired is Rob Hellyer, the former NLL MVP finalist who will serve as the right-shot facilitator for the otherworldly Jeff Teat. Hellyer — acquired from the very same Seals — has 190 assists over the past three seasons, good for seventh in the league over that span.
On the left, hometown sniper Sam Firth replaces the outgoing Taggart Clark, shipped to Oshawa in the offseason to play for his father. It was a deal that made a load of sense for both teams, especially considering that Ottawa also acquired a young, physical, and intelligent defender in Nicholas Volkov.
MacRae didn’t tinker with the foundation, a foundation that he himself was a large part of just three seasons ago.
Reilly O’Connor, Connor Kearnan, and Larson Sundown remain stalwarts on the offence, alongside last year’s breakout star and fan favourite Jacob Dunbar and the newly signed Jake McNabb. Travis Longboat begins the season on the injured reserve but figures to play a large role in the offence once healthy.
On defence, it’s impossible to ignore the perpetually locked-in Callum Jones, the young leader of a crew with a solid mix of veterans (Matt Marinier, Jay Thorimbert, Kevin Brownell, Luc Magnan, Brent Noseworthy, Andrew Borgatti) and developing young guns (Volkov, Sam La Roue, Jake Stevens, Jake Saunders, and Reed Kurtz).
And in between the pipes, it’s hard to overstate the calming effect that goaltender Zach Higgins can have on that defence. He’s just as comfortable facing 60 shots a night as 40 and comes up time and time again with saves that underscore his reputation as a top-five goalie in lacrosse.]
THE GOODS
Watch: You can watch every regular season NLL game on NLL+ free of charge. Tonight’s game will also be available on TSN+ in Canada and ESPN+ in the U.S.
The Opponent: Ottawa dropped their lone meeting with San Diego last season 6-5. The Seals’ six goals were the lowest scored by the winning team in league history. Teat, Clark, Thorimbert, Dunbar and Nathan Grenon all scored for Ottawa. Thorimbert also won the battle at the dot, winning 14 of 16 in draws in the absence of San Diego faceoff man Trevor Baptiste. Ottawa was missing two of three leading scorers (Kearnan and O’Connor) as well as Jones.
The Stat: Higgins faced the most shots (925) and recorded the second-most saves (731) last season in the NLL, a year after leading the league in both categories. His 1064:56 minutes played last season were a career high.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“It’s huge, we’re just excited to get going here. We’ve had a great training camp, we’ve made some really huge steps. It’s been really good, so we’re just excited to get going and play some meaningful lacrosse.” — Callum Jones on the anticipation inside the dressing room
“I think if you ask anybody, he’s just really easy to play with. Really easy to play with, smart, he’s been around this league for a while, so he knows all the ins and outs. And obviously playing against his former team, first game of the year, so I know he’s going to have a good one.” — Jeff Teat on offseason trade addition Rob Hellyer
“We’re athletic, we’re strong, and I think we have some great IQ back there as well. We have guys that put in a lot of hours on video. So I think we just have a great mixture and a great combination of players to have a successful defence. Plus, having Higgy between the pipes is a huge help for us as well.” — Callum Jones on the team’s back end
“I think we’re really fortunate to be in a place and community that loves the team and loves lacrosse, so I think for us, it’s obviously doing the work away from the floor and being prepared, having great practices and team sessions, and going out there and playing hard for the fans, and coming out with as many wins as possible.” — Jeff Teat on Year 2 in Ottawa
“We were missing a couple of guys, obviously a weird game for us in terms of personnel. But yeah, I think they’re a great team, they’re coached well and they play hard, and it’s a good test for us, the first game of the year.” — Jeff Teat on last season’s 6-5 loss to San Diego
This year, the Black Bears will play four Friday home games and five Saturday home games from November to April.
The home opener will kick things off on Saturday, November 29, when the San Diego Seals come to town.
You can view the team’s entire schedule here, purchase Season Seats here, and Single Game tickets here.
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