The Vancouver Warriors battled back in the second half to earn an 8-7 win over the Halifax Thunderbirds in a playoff-style contest at Rogers Arena.
Trailing 6-4 heading in the fourth quarter, Vancouver stayed within reach thanks to strong defence. The Warriors started the third quarter on a 3-on-5 penalty kill, successfully killing off the Halifax power play. Warriors Head Coach and GM Curt Malawsky said that PK was big and was pleased with how the team cleaned up their game in the second half.
"Kudos to the guys for coming in the second half and then locking it down. We always know that we can stay in the fight, that’s kind of our mantra,” Malawsky said.
Warriors’ goaltender Christian Del Bianco was a difference-maker, turning aside 41 of 48 shots, while Thunderbirds netminder Warren Hill stopped 51 of 59 in a goaltending battle throughout the night.
“Warren played a phenomenal game, he was 86% and Delbs is right up there with 85.4%, so, both goalies were amazing. We have a ton of trust in Christian, it takes a lot of pressure off our O-guys.”
Defensively, the Warriors leaned into their identity, limiting opportunities and pushing through a tight-checking game. Forward Curtis Dickson echoed Malawsky’s sentiments and felt the win was important for the kinds of games they’ll be playing in the postseason.
“On the D-end, they grinded it out. They put a pounding on their offence and then made it tough for them to play and get to the middle, and that's their brand. They were outstanding tonight,” Dickson said.
“Offensively, obviously, we want to be a little bit better than we were, but, I mean that's playoff lacrosse. Sometimes you're going to have to grind out those 7-6, 8-7, 9-8 games and it's huge for our confidence."
The Warriors shots started falling in the final frame, as forward Jesse King scored a hat trick and the go-ahead goal to seal the win. Forward Keegan Bal scored one of his two goals in the fourth quarter and praised King for sticking to the process.
“He's an incredible player, one of, if not the best all-around lacrosse player that I've ever played with. He just does everything so well. He was getting frustrated, his looks weren't falling at the start of the game, but he just stuck with it. He shouldn't ever lose confidence, because he's such a great shooter. So, it was nice to see him rewarded,” Bal said.
Defender Owen Grant scored a goal in transition, with Steph Charbonneau setting the screen to help the cause.
The win also marked a major milestone for the organization, as Vancouver secured a franchise-best 12 wins this season, surpassing last year’s 11-7 record.
Since Malawsky took over ahead of the 2023-24 season, the Warriors have steadily improved year-over-year, building a foundation rooted in consistency and work ethic. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to this point, and Malawsky thinks of the tough times the team went through. He’s proud of what they’ve been able to do and how the fans have rallied around the team.
“It's really nice to see the fans support us, and the smiles on the faces, and the kids are really coming out, all the minor lacrosse is hitting the ground running right now, so that's what I'm proud of,” Malawsky said. “Obviously the guys in that dressing room [too]. They never cease to amaze me with their effort and their hard work.”
Bal has spent his entire career with Vancouver, two seasons with the Stealth and is in his seventh season with the Warriors. The progress from the team has been undeniable, and Bal says they’re continuing to raise the bar for what this group can accomplish.
“Obviously proud of that, but the work's not done. We're looking to the playoffs. We really want to secure home advantage here in the playoffs, in front of our fans, who are some of the best fans in the league,” Bal said.
“I think when Curt came here our identity changed quite a bit. We got Delbs and then we've just kind of built on that year after year.”
Bal scored four points (2G, 2A), tallying a career-best 113 points (39G, 74A), surpassing his 112 points (43G, 69A) last season.
Dickson finished the game with two goals and became just the second player in NLL history to have 10 seasons of 40-plus goals. He hit the milestone on his second goal of the night in transition off a pass from Jeff Cornwall.
“I've played a lot of years, so they’re going add up at some point,” Dickson laughed. “It's just a testament to a lot of the guys I’ve been surrounded with in this league. I’ve played on some pretty talented offences that have been able to find the ball in my stick, and I've been able to put it in the back of the net 40 times, a few times. It's cool. It's one of those things I'll be able to look back at when it's all said and done and be proud of. But whatever we need to do to win games at this time of the season is obviously what we're looking to do.”
The Warriors are back at Rogers Arena for Fan Appreciation Night, Saturday, April 18th, to face the Philadelphia Wings at 7:00 p.m. PT.
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