Thunderbirds drop close contest to Rush

Dec 28, 2025

HALIFAX, NS (December 27, 2025) -- The Halifax Thunderbirds came out on the wrong side of Saturday's final against the Saskatchewan Rush, losing 10-9 at Scotiabank Centre. 

Randy Staats led all Thunderbirds with three goals and six points on the night. Clarke Petterson had four assists, Dawson Theede had a pair of goals and added an assist, and Cody Jamieson (2G) and Mike Robinson (1G, 1A) added two points apiece. 

Halifax struck first, as Theede opened the scoring, but Matt Acchione answered with a goal in transition. Ryan Terefenko ripped home a shot coming out of the penalty box to put the Thunderbirds back ahead, but Zach Manns tied the game to make it 2-2 after the opening 15 minutes. 

Acchione struck again to open the second quarter, finishing a transition play to put the Rush up. Ryan Keenan followed up with a power-play marker to make it 4-2 for the visitors. However, Halifax found the equalizers, with Randy Staats and Cody Jamieson both scoring to pull even. But a Josh Zawada marker gave the Rush a 5-4 advantage at the half. 

Halifax struck early in the second half, with Jamieson finishing off a strong effort off the draw from Graeme Hossack and Jake Withers to tie the game back up under 10 seconds into the third. But Manns capitalized once again on the man advantage, restoring a one-goal lead

Halifax answered with back-to-back goals, with Staats and Robinson finding the back of the net, to jump back into the lead. Before the period ended, however, Austin Shanks evened the score at 7–7. Setting up an exciting final 15.

It was Theede firing one home first for Halifax, breaking the deadlock. Saskatchewan got a two-goal run of its own, with Keenan and Robert Church scoring to jump ahead with over 10 minutes remaining. Staats scored a beauty off a jump shot with seven minutes left in regulation to knot things at nine. 

After both teams traded chances in the closing minutes, Saskatchewan got a transition look in the final minute, and Shanks found the eventual winner.

Now sitting at 2-1 on the season, the Thunderbirds will look to avenge their loss to Saskatchewan in a week's time, when the teams run it back on Jan 2 at SaskTel Centre. Opening face-off is set for 9:00 p.m. AT.