Thunderbirds lose to Swarm
Mar 20, 2026
DULUTH, GA (March 20, 2026) -- A 10-goal fourth quarter by the Halifax Thunderbirds wasn't enough to get the job done at Gas South Arena on Friday night, as they lost 17-16 to the Georgia Swarm.
Clarke Petterson had his second consecutive game with 10 points, posting four goals and six assists on the evening. Mike Robinson had three goals of his own, along with six points.
Stephen Keogh had four goals of his own and five points, and Thunderbirds captain Cody Jamieson had a pair of goals and three assists for five points.
Jake Withers went 35-for-36 on face-offs, along with 22 loose balls and two blocks. Graeme Hossack added three assists and seven loosies, while Ryan Terefenko had a pair of assists, 11 loose balls, and a caused turnover.
Warren Hill made 26 saves but was saddled with the loss. Drew Hutchison did step into the cage for a spell, making eight saves in nine minutes of action.
A majority of the damage Georgia did on the night came in the first half, with a seven-goal opening frame putting them ahead for nearly the entire contest.
Nolan Byrne and Mike Triolo opened the scoring with back-to-back goals, and despite a Robinson goal to get Halifax on the board, a five-goal swing after that for the hosts put them ahead 7-1 after the opening 15 minutes.
The run continued into the second, with the Swarm scoring three more to jump out to a commanding 10-1 lead at the 11:49 mark of the second. Austin Blumbergs ended the run with his second goal of the season, and two straight from Jamieson made it a 10-4 game. But Richie Connell got another to make it a seven-goal gap.
It was more of the same in the third from the Swarm, as Bryan Cole, Shayne Jackson, and Byrne scored to extend the Georgia lead to 10. Two straight from Robinson cut into the deficit, but Michael Grace made it 15-6 going into the final quarter.
But Halifax continued to chip away, and they'd be rewarded in the fourth, starting it off with three straight goals. Petterson completed his hat trick with a pair to open the frame, and Keogh got his first of four in the quarter. Kaleb Benedict made it 16-9 with 6:32 to play.
With a seven-goal lead, Georgia lifted started Brett Dobson, and Halifax took advantage of a fresh goaltender in the cage. Will MacLeod, Keogh, and Petterson all scored within a minute of each other, dropping the Swarm's lead to four.
Blumbergs and Petterson got another pair with just over two minutes to play, and Keogh's hat-trick goal made it a one-goal game with 1:17 to play. The veteran played hero, converting a between-the-legs shot to tie the game with 50 seconds left in regulation.
Unfortunately for Halifax, it couldn't complete the comeback. A missed shot led to a chance the other way, and Georgia captain Jordan MacIntosh scored in transition with 18 seconds remaining to put the Swarm back ahead. The Thunderbirds couldn't find an answer, and Georgia escaped with a victory.
Halifax is now at 5-9 on the season. They head to Philadelphia for their lone meeting with the Wings in a week at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Opening face-off is at 8:00 p.m. AT.