Dane Dobbie had another historic night on Sunday, finishing with his second sock trick of the season and adding four assists as the Calgary Roughnecks defeated the Las Vegas Desert Dogs 12-8. It salvaged the weekend for the Roughnecks, who fell to Saskatchewan 16-13 on Friday night. Dobbie’s night was highlighted by a a second-quarter BTB goal scored at an impossibly low angle.
The Roughnecks struck early and often on Sunday, 4-1 by the 4:32 mark of the first quarter, and leading 6-2 at the end of the frame, increasing that to 10-3 at halftime. It was a chippy second half with a combined 45 minutes in penalties.
Tyler Pace finished the game with two goals and a whopping nine assists. Dobbie’s 10 points were equalled by captain Jesse King, who put up a three spot and seven assists. Haiden Dickson had a career-high five goals and one assist. Justin Inacio, who won 20 of 31 faceoffs, also scored his first career goal. Cam MacLeod and Gowah Abrams combined for 35 saves.
Jack Hannah led Las Vegas with its first four goals of the game. Casey Jackson put up a pair, and singles were scored by Kyle Killen and Jonathan Donville. Justin Geddie started for Las Vegas, was spelled by Landon Kells who fared no better, and then returned to finish the game. The pair combined for 30 saves.
SATURDAY
The Bandits Are Undefeated No More!!
Saturday, February 15 was the day on the calendar when the Buffalo Bandits finally experienced a loss. After racing to an incredible 7-0 start, the defending champions were taken down by the visiting San Diego Seals in a scintillating 14-13 overtime thriller.
Friday night, Buffalo started down 5-0 to the Toronto Rock, before rallying to victory. Saturday witnessed a similar scenario with the Bandits falling down 4-0, only to fight right back into a 6-6 second-quarter tie. Down 10-8 in the third, Buffalo delivered five of the next six goals, taking what appeared to be an insurmountable 13-11 advantage. When all seemed to be lost for the Southern Californians, Wes Berg cut the lead to one, setting up Zach Currier for the equalizer with a mere six seconds remaining. Then, come the extra session, Mr. Berg once again asserted his presence, winning the game for the Seals 5:02 into the fifth quarter.
Wes. Berg. Called. GAME.
With an absolutely electric night (5G,1A), who else but Wes Berg to score the game winner for San Diego? pic.twitter.com/TpyJUOW6wI
This game had more twists and turns than a Six Flags roller-coaster. Berg posted five goals and one assist, with Currier contributing three and two, while the trio of Rob Hellyer, Dylan Watson and Ben McIntosh donated two scores apiece.
On the losing Buffalo side, Josh Byrne and Ian MacKay each netted a hat trick, while Dhane Smith tabulated two goals and six assists. Fan favorite Connor Farrell thrilled the paying customers when scoring his first career goal. 18,224 lacrosse fans jammed the KeyBank Center for this very memorable affair.
The Rush Are The First Team To Eight Wins
Knighthawks vs Rush
What an impressive two-night stretch for the upstart Saskatchewan Rush. Coming off a 16-13 triumph at the Calgary Roughnecks on Friday, the now 8-2 Rush pulverized the Rochester Knighthawks 17-9 at SaskTel Centre on Saturday night. Last season, the Rush were the owners of a 4-6 record after 10 games. One year later, the club has doubled their win tally.
Rochester led 5-3 at the end of the opening quarter. From that point forward, it was all Rush. The boys from Saskatoon quickly produced six consecutive second-quarter goals, followed by a second-half stretch the witnessed the home team recording seven of the contest’s final eight scores.
Austin Shanks and Robert Church combined for eight goals and five assists. Clark Walter supplied a hat trick, while Ryan Keenan distributed five helpers. Frank Scigliano was sterling in goal, getting in the way of 39 of 48 shot attempts.
On the Western New York front, Connor Fields notched three goals and one assist, with Ryan Smith and Ryan Lanchbury going in on four scores and six helpers. Look out for the Rush!
Jeff Teat Gets A Sock Trick
Ottawa Black Bears at Albany 02/15/25, Kiel Matisz, Jeff Teat, Reilly O’Connor
Ottawa Black Bears superstar Jeff Teat put on a thunderous show versus the Albany FireWolves on the day after Valentine’s Day. With the game tied 3-3 in the first, Ottawa produced a stretch of seven consecutive goals, four of which came from Teat, including a three-in-a-row exhibition from the Cornell alum.
All told, Teat ended his trip to New York’s state capital with a stat line of six goals and three assists, en route to an 18-9 victory over last season’s NLL runner-up.
Teat was not alone on the Black Bear assembly line, as Jacob Dunbar netted three scores and two helpers, Kiel Matisz brought in two goals and six assists, with Connor Kearnan adding six assists of his own to the effort. Goalkeeper Zach Higgins had an outstanding night between the pipes, knocking down 47 out of 56 blasts aimed in his direction.
For the struggling FireWolves, who fell to 2-8 in what has turned out to be a very disappointing season, Alex Simmons achieved a hat trick, with running mates Ethan Walker and Tye Kurtz conjoining on three goals and six assists in overwhelming defeat.
The Thunderbirds Are Rolling
Halifax, Nova Scotia – Feb 15: National Lacrosse League game between the Halifax Thunderbirds and Philadelphia Wings on February 15 2025 at the Scotiabank Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Thunderbirds)
Scotiabank Centre in Halifax was the setting for a clash between the streaking Thunderbirds and the high-voltage Philadelphia Wings. This dispute was hotly contested throughout with neither team holding more than a two-goal lead during much of the hard-fought battle. With the score tied 10-10 late in the fourth, the Atlantic Coasters dispensed three straight goals into the Philly net, giving Halifax the 13-10 victory. The T-Birds have now won three games in a row.
Thomas Hoggarth dropped three scores and two helpers, with Randy Staats conveying nine total points, but Clarke Petterson came up enormous for the victors, attaining three goals and four assists, including a dazzling behind-the-back performance.
Mitch Jones was fantastic per usual, scoring three and assisting on three others. Mike McCannell added two more in discouraging defeat.
Just shy of 9,000 Nova Scotians braved the elements to take in an invigorating victory for the local guys.
FRIDAY
A Valentine’s Day Classic in Toronto
Rivalries do not get much bigger than the Buffalo Bandits and Toronto Rock, with the latest incarnation of the blood feud taking place at Paramount Fine Foods Centre. On this night, a sellout Mississauga crowd witnessed the visiting two-time defending champions from Western New York holding on for a dramatic 13-12 win.
MISSISSAUGA, CANADA – FEBRUARY 14: the NLL regular season game between the Buffalo Bandits and the Toronto Rock at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre on February 14, 2025 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Christian Bender/NLL)
The boys from Ontario jumped out to a rapid 5-0 first quarter lead. A three-goal burst from the Bandits allowed the road guys to chip away as the game progressed, eventually leading to a Dhane Smith go-ahead goal in the fourth. Tom Schreiber quickly evened the battle 10-10, only to witness the champs connect on three straight, bringing the score to 13-10, late in the final stanza. Just when it looked like the game may be a done deal, the Rock brought the score to 13-12, setting up one last gasp to no avail for the never-say-die Rock.
The aforementioned Mr. Smith was fabulous, blasting three and helping on five others. Chris Cloutier scored three and assisted on three more, with Kyle Buchanan securing a hat trick. Reigning MVP Josh Byrne was doling out treats on this February 14, giftwrapping five assists to his teammates.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Dhane scored 3,
With 5 assists too.
On the losing side, Josh Dawick obtained a hat trick, with Schreiber and Chris Boushy combining on four goals and eight assists.
A whopping 26 penalties were committed in this game, including seven unsportsmanlike conduct calls.
The Rush Keep the Good Times Rolling
CALGARY, AB – FEBRUARY 14, 2025: Saskatchewan Rush versus the Calgary Roughnecks at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday night (Photo by Angela Burger/Calgary Roughnecks).
The Saskatchewan Rush kept their torrid start to the season ongoing, outlasting the Calgary Roughnecks 16-13, with just shy of 9,000 paying customers piling into WestJet Field at Scotiabank Saddledome to take in this highly competitive matchup.
The now 7-2 Rush raced to a 3-1 first quarter lead, with the home club fighting back to tie the score 3-3. A seesaw altercation would ensue from this point forward, as an 11-11 fourth quarter tie evolved into three succeeding Saskatchewan goals, to go along with five of the last seven to seal the victory.
Robert Church and Ryan Keenan brought it for the Rush, as each man posted three goals and four assists. Austin Shanks added two scores and five helpers.
As for the Roughnecks’ disappointing rivalry game with the Saskatooners, Curtis Dickson and Dane Dobbie combined to produce four goals and nine assists. In defeat, six players scored at least two goals for a balanced effort, but not quite enough to fasten a win.
The Warriors Hit the Jackpot in Las Vegas
The final Valentine’s Day NLL event occurred in Sin City, with the visiting Vancouver Warriors giving the Desert Dogs all they could possibly handle amid cruising to a comfortable 12-8 triumph.
Vegas hit the ground running, lighting the lamp on the game’s first two goals, with that serving as the lone bright spot for the now 2-7 Nevadans. The Warriors subsequently went on to brighten the scoreboard on six consecutive occasions, leading to a 10 out of 13 surge in scoring for the franchise and an easy win.
The Warriors looked really good in this one.
Have yourself a NIGHT, Marcus!!
It was a 4 goal, 1 assist night for Marcus Klarich as the Warriors take down the Desert Dogs 12-8
Marcus Klarich set the tone for Vancouver, connecting on four and helping on one additional. Not to be outdone, Warriors’ stars Keegan Bal and Adam Charalambides collaborated on four goals and 11 assists for the 5-5 Warriors.
Kyle Killen celebrated a goal twice for Las Vegas, with the uber-talented Jack Hannah scoring one and passing for another five.
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