The Black Bears head to Nova Scotia this weekend with their eyes set on the prize, win or go home.
Saturday, Ottawa takes on the Halifax Thunderbirds in Halifax at 6 p.m. EST at the Scotiabank Centre. It’s a win-or-go-home game for both squads as the Thunderbirds are also in the playoff hunt, fighting for the same position as the Black Bears in the standings. While the Black Bears have never beaten the Thunderbirds, they look to etch their names in the franchise record books this weekend in Halifax for more than one reason.
A win for the Black Bears against the Thunderbirds would mean:
You can watch the game on TSN1, TSN5, TSN+, and ESPN +
Jeff Teat: The captain for the Black Bears also captains the New York Atlas in the Premier Lacrosse League during the summer. This past season, the Atlas won the PLL Championship with Teat taking home Championship MVP. He looks to carry that confidence into playoff season, and this coming Saturday specifically. While it may not be a playoff game on paper, the game has large impacts for both teams, as one season will end and another continue. Teat tends to be on the winning side more often than the losing side, scoring six points in order for the Atlas to secure their championship. While Teat has never made the NLL playoffs before, he will look to propel the Black Bears offence in search of that berth.
Zach Higgins: Zach Higgins has been on fire in his most recent games. While the Black Bears have lost four in a row, without Higgins the final scores would have been much more lopsided. In the last three games, his save percentage has jumped from 77 per cent to 79.6 per cent, as Higgins has stepped up when it matters.
Ottawa defence and transition: The transition from defence to offence must be better if Ottawa would like to win this game against the Thunderbirds. Against the Rock, transition from defence to offence was not great, leading to turnovers and odd man scenarios which turned into goals slipping by the Black Bears defence. While the transition game for the Black Bears has been great this season, there were a few hiccups last game. Look for the team to bounce back and have a great game on the transition side of the ball in Halifax, in order to come out of Nova Scotia with a win.
Clarke Petterson / Halifax Offence: The Thunderbirds offence ranks first in short-handed goals and third in the league for power play goals. Leading the way for such an efficient offence is Clarke Petterson and his right-hand man Cody Jamieson. Petterson leads the team in points with 86, while Jamieson ranks second with 54.
Graeme Hossack: On the defensive side of the ball, Hossack controls the defence for the Thunderbirds. The 10-year veteran has established himself as one of the best defenders in the NLL and PLL, while making the playoffs five out of the 10 seasons he played in the NLL. As the leader of a team who has been to the playoffs for the past three seasons, the coaching staff of the Thunderbirds will be looking for Hossack to lead the way in Saturday’s matchup.
Warren Hill: Hill will be a key determining factor of whether or not Halifax has beats the Black Bears on Saturday. Hill’s record coming into the game on the season is 7-7, with an 81 per cent save percentage and 10.17 goals-against average. If Hill catches fire, he may be tough to beat. Smart possessions and ball movement from the east to west of the floor is what the Black Bears should look to do against Hill on offence.
It all comes down to Saturday night in Halifax — Who really wants to play lacrosse in May.
You can view the team’s entire schedule here, purchase Season Seats here, and Single Game tickets here.
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