Thunderbirds win second straight; beat Knighthawks in The Nest
Apr 4, 2026
HALIFAX, NS (April 4, 2026) -- The Halifax Thunderbirds got another big notch in their late-season playoff push, defeating the Rochester Knighthawks 15-10 at Scotiabank Centre on Saturday night.
Clarke Petterson continued his strong second half, posting a hat trick and six points. Not to be outdone, Jake Withers had his best two-way outing of the year, with a pair of goals and six points of his own to go along with 12 loose balls and two blocks.
Jason Knox had a hat trick while Mike Robinson added a goal and two assists. Graeme Hossack and Ryan Terefenko each had a goal and an assist in transition.
Warren Hill turned away 42 shots to win his seventh game of the season.
The opening frame of this game was a back-and-forth one, with Rochester opening the scoring, courtesy of Ryan Smith. But Jamieson came right back for Halifax, scoring on a twister to knot things at one before Knox put Halifax ahead, cleaning up a loose ball in front and depositing it past Riley Hutchcraft.
Thomas McConvey tied it up again with a power-play tally, but off the ensuing draw, Withers started what was a dominant showing of goals in transition and off face-offs.
He scooped the ball, got out on the run, and off a feed from Will MacLeod, the defender stuck home his first of the year. Knox followed that up two minutes later, scoring on the power play off a quick stick connection with Brendan Bomberry. Ryan Lanchbury got one back for the visitors, but the Thunderbirds held a 4-3 advantage through the opening 15 minutes of play.
The Knighthawks opened the scoring in the second, with Blaze Riorden getting on the board, but off another face-off, Withers popped the ball and dished to Graeme Hossack, who fired a shot home from distance. Mike Robinson got his first less than a minute later, putting Halifax up 6-4.
Matt Gilray got one in transition to make it a one-goal game again, but a five-goal run by Halifax put the team ahead for good.
A Petterson power-play goal preceded a Terefenko transition tally before Knox completed his first-half hat trick, stinging a shot home. Stephen Keogh then ripped a shot off the far-side post and in. Petterson kept things rolling with an outside bouncer that found twine.
In the final 10 minutes of the first half, the Thunderbirds blew things open, heading into the break with an 11-5 lead.
The third quarter took a more defensive pace, with only three combined goals being scored. Rochester chipped into the lead with goals from Smith and McConvey. But Withers' second of the game off another face-off win maintained a five-goal lead heading into the final frame.
Halifax was able to find the goals to maintain its lead. They got an insurance marker right off the hop, with Terefenko and Petterson connecting for a goal 11 seconds into the fourth. Brendan Bomberry scored another 19 seconds later, finishing off a Hossack set up to put the Thunderbirds up by seven.
Rochester went on a three-goal run -- Taylor Jensen, Lanchbury, and Connor Fields getting the goals -- but Trevor Smyth scored on an empty net in his return to the lineup to seal the 15-10 win for his team.
Halifax now sits at 7-9 on the season with the victory. They'll be back in action on Apr 10, when they head to the West Coast for an All-Canadian showdown with the Vancouver Warriors. Face-off is at 10:00 p.m. AT.