The Vancouver Warriors are back at home to finish the season and will face the Halifax Thunderbirds on Friday night for the first and only time in the regular season.
Last weekend, the Warriors played their final regular season road contest against the Buffalo Bandits, where they lost 15-5. This was their first loss since March 6th against the Toronto Rock, and the Warriors are now tied for first place with an 11-5 record. They currently hold identical records with the Colorado Mammoth and Saskatchewan Rush, making it a close race at the top of the standings with two games to go.
In Buffalo, the Warriors faced a motivated Bandits team that was looking to clinch a playoff position with a win. Forward Adam Charalambides opened the scoring in the first quarter and finished the night with four points (2G, 2A). Forward Marcus Klarich also registered four points (2G, 2A). Faceoff specialist Max Adler was consistent in the dot, winning 14 of 24 draws taken, for a 58.3% faceoff win percentage.
In the final two games of the regular season, the Warriors' focus will be pushing for playoff positioning. With only a very minimal margin for error, each result can significantly impact the final standings.
Bal sits at 109 points this season and is only three points away from breaking his career high and franchise record of 112 with two games remaining. Klarich has 44 points (20G, 24A) and is only one goal away from tying his career high in goals. Forwards Jesse King and Curtis Dickson are tied for second in points on the team with 67 apiece.
In their matchup against the Thunderbirds last season, the Warriors fell just short, losing 10-9 after a series of offensive bursts throughout the game. They played a solid game and continued to push even when the Thunderbirds began to build a lead through the second and third quarters. Charalambides tallied six points on the evening, and Klarich and Keegan Bal both finished with four points each.
The defence kept the Warriors in the game and played a pivotal role in keeping the ball away from the Thunderbirds and in the Warriors' possession. A total of 58 loose balls were collected, with defenceman Reid Bowering collecting the most, with 10. Other notable contributors were transition Owen Grant (9), and defencemen Ryan Dilks (5) and Steph Charbonneau (4).
The Thunderbirds are currently just on the outside looking in as they remain in 9th place in league standings and have a 7-9 record. They are on a two-game win streak, coming off a 15-10 win over the Rochester Knighthawks last weekend. The Thunderbirds have one more loss than the eighth-place Las Vegas Desert Dogs and will be motivated to unseat them for the final playoff position.
Thunderbirds netminder Warren Hill has had a great season, averaging an 80.6% save percentage. Face off specialist Jake Withers has been very good in the dot and has the second-highest percentage in the league at 72%.
Forward Clarke Petterson has been the key offensive driver for the Thunderbirds this season, posting 37 goals and 45 assists for 82 points so far this season. Randy Staats and Cody Jamieson have also been important for their offence as well, with them each scoring 51 (18G, 33A) and 50 (21G, 29 A) points respectively.
Opening faceoff will be at 6:00 p.m. PT, and if you can’t make it down to Rogers Arena, you can watch the game live on TSN+ and NLL+.
With NLL+, you can re-watch highlights and full games throughout the season, and you can sign up for NLL+ here.