Game Preview - Halifax vs Panther City
Mar 14, 2024
The Halifax Thunderbirds return home in search of a win on Friday night when they welcome Panther City Lacrosse Club to Scotiabank Centre. Opening face-off is set for 7:30 p.m. AT.
Head to Head
This will be the first meeting between the Thunderbirds and Panther City. Being in opposite divisions the previous two years, they did not cross paths before, but with the unified league structure, the pair of teams will see each other once a year now.
Halifax and Panther City find themselves in similar spots in the standings heading into the final weeks of the regular season. The Thunderbirds were riding high just a few weeks ago, winning five of six to vault themselves into a top-three spot in the league standings sitting at 7-4. But two consecutive losses have dropped them back into the middle of the pack.
Every game becomes pivotal around this time of the year, but with the Thunderbirds being separated by just a single win from the teams seeded sixth to eighth in the playoff picture currently, these contests to end the year hold that much extra weight.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
After scoring 19 goals on the road against Saskatchewan three weeks ago, the Thunderbirds have managed the same amount in their previous two games combined and were held to single digits in San Diego last weekend.
Randy Staats was placed on Injured Reserve ahead of that game, and the Thunderbirds will be looking to make things work without their star righty. It’s been the pair of Clarke Petterson (30G, 43A) and Austin Shanks (16G, 45A) who lead the team in scoring this year, with each posting identical two-goal, four-point performances a week ago.
Ryan Benesch (35G, 23A) and Cody Jamieson (14G, 32A) also continue to log big minutes on the offensive side of the ball while Dawson Theede (22G, 20A) and Aaron Woods (10G, 12A) continue to have breakout years.
The big key in this game for Halifax will be staying out of the box. Penalties at key junctures of the past two games have slowed the team’s momentum, and they were on the kill a season-high 12 times in San Diego. With the Panther City power play operating at 50 percent for the year, Halifax will have to play a disciplined game to avoid those extra offensive opportunities for the visitors.
Warren Hill will once again man the crease for the Thunderbirds in this contest. Sitting with a 6-6 record for the year, the Halifax starter has an 11.15 goals-against average and .760 save percentage this season.
Scouting Panther City
Going into their third season in the NLL, Tracey Kelusky’s side is still being built from the ground up since their expansion year, but they have some exciting building blocks for the present and future.
The team has no shortage of young talent up front, with 2021 first-overall pick Jonathan Donville leading a right side that also features future NLL Hall of Famer Callum Crawford (31G, 36A), 2023 fifth-overall selection Ryan Sheridan (11G, 4A), and trusted veteran Phil Caputo (20G, 12A).
But Panther City’s top scorer this year has been fourth-year man WIll Malcom (27G, 45A), who is in the midst of a breakout year. He’s currently on pace to have his first 100-plus point year of his young NLL career. Two other 2022 first-rounders, Jason Knox (15G, 16A) and Mathieu Gautier (5G, 22A) have been strong as offensive options on the left side. Knox, in particular, is 6-foot-4 and has heaps of skill to go along with his big frame.
Malcolm’s older brother, Tony, also leads the team in transition with five goals and 15 points. He’s a player that will take his chance when presented the opportunity and he can get up the floor in a hurry.
Panther City starter Nick Damude is also having a career-best year, boasting a 10.77 GAA and a .800 SV%.
Family Ties
With the first-ever meeting between these two teams, there are also a pair of brothers who will be going up against one another. Halifax assistant captain Graeme Hossack will be facing off with his brother, Panther City captain Matt. Meanwhile, Halifax backup Drew Hutchison will be playing his older brother, Dylan.
Matt Hossack was the franchise’s inaugural pick during the 2021 NLL Expansion Draft while Hutchison signed that off-season with Panther City and has spent the last three seasons on their back end.
Graeme Hossack has emerged as one of the best defenders in the NLL while Drew Hutchison is making a name for himself in both the NLL and summer lacrosse seasons.
This will be the first time the Hutchison brothers go head to head in the NLL since Drew was drafted by Halifax in the second round of the 2021 NLL Draft.
Milestone Watch
- Ryan Benesch needs one game played to surpass Josh Sanderson for seventh all-time in NLL History (269)
- Ryan Benesch needs six goals to surpass Dan Dawson for fourth all-time in NLL History (552)
- Cody Jamieson needs 10 loose balls to reach 800 for his career
- Clarke Petterson needs four loose balls to reach 300 for his career
Broadcast Info
Thunderbirds fans can tune into Friday’s action on TSN+ in Canada and ESPN+ in the United States.