Game Preview - Halifax vs Georgia
Feb 29, 2024
The Halifax Thunderbirds return home looking for a second consecutive victory when they welcome the Georgia Swarm to Scotiabank Centre. Opening face-off is set for 8:00 p.m. AT.
Head to Head
This will be the lone regular-season meeting between these two squads. Their season series last year ended in a split. The Swarm took the first game in The Nest by a 17-7 score. But the two teams went into the final weekend of the season deadlocked, looking for one final win to vault them into the final playoff spot in the East Division. It came down to a showdown in Duluth, at Gas South Arena. And it was once again the visitors taking the deciding game. Halifax flipped the script, scoring 17 goals on Georgia and securing their place in the postseason in the process.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
Last weekend against Saskatchewan, the Thunderbirds’ offence was firing on all cylinders, posting their highest goal total of the season (19) while coming up just one goal short of tying the Halifax single-game goal record set last season.
The highest-scoring offence in the National Lacrosse League continues to be led by Clarke Petterson (26G, 37A), who continues to have a breakout campaign. Veteran Ryan Benesch (32G, 22A) and Austin Shanks (12G, 40A) are also posting consistently great numbers. Benesch is coming off a four-goal outing while Shanks finished last game with a pair of goals and six points.
Randy Staats (14G, 20A) also returned in Saskatchewan and posted a six-point night of his own while captain Cody Jamieson (12G, 31A) had four helpers. The pairing of Dawson Theede (20G, 17A) and Aaron Woods (9G, 11A) has also impressed mightily this season.
Jake Withers is on one of the biggest heaters of his career, going 75-for-91 on face-offs over his previous three games (82%). The Thunderbirds’ transition game was also flying last weekend, with Colton Armstrong, Ryan Terefenko, Graeme Hossack, and Johnny Pearson all getting on the board.
Warren Hill had arguably his best showing of the season last weekend, and a much-needed bounce-back victory, stopping 38 shots while only allowing six goals against. The Halifax starter owns an 11.09 goals-against average and a .760 save percentage on the year.
Scouting the Swarm
The Swarm also boast one of the most efficient offences in the league, led by the trio of Lyle Thompson (29G, 31A), Shayne Jackson (19G, 39A), and Andrew Kew (22G, 31A). Thompson and Jackson have both taken home NLL MVP honours during their respective carers while Kew is coming off his first 100-point season.
Defences also have to be aware of the Swarm’s supporting cast up front. Seth Oakes (20G, 23A) is already in the midst of a career-best campaign while Brendan Bomberry (9G, 18A) can hurt teams from anywhere on the floor with his scoring prowess. Zach Miller (9G, 14A) is also a good scorer on the lefty side while Bryan Cole (10G, 12A) is one of the best two-way threats in the league and regularly takes shifts up on offence after holding things down in his own end.
The Swarm also have a solid defence, led by veterans Jordan MacIntosh, Mike Manley, Adam Wiedemann, and Liam Byrnes. MacIntosh likes to get the ball up and take chances in transition when given the opportunity. He and Cole will be players to key in on as threats coming out the back gate.
In goal for Georgia, second-year starter Brett Dobson is coming off a year where he was a finalist for Rookie of the Year after helping to backstop his team to a back-stretch playoff push. So far this season, Dobson holds a 6-6 record with an 11.53 GAA and a .780 SV%.
Milestone Watch
- Ryan Benesch needs one game played to surpass Colin Doyle & Mark Steenhuis for eighth all-time (267)...Needs nine goals to surpass Dan Dawson for fourth all-time (552)
- Randy Staats needs one game played to reach 100 for his career...Needs one loose ball to reach 400 for his career
- Graeme Hossack needs 10 loose balls to reach 1,000 for his career
- Ryan Terefenko needs 12 loose balls to reach 400 for his career
Broadcast Info
Thunderbirds fans can tune into Friday’s game on TSN4 as part of the NLL Game of the Week on TSN, as well as TSN+ in Canada and ESPN+ in the United States