Thunderbirds Beat FireWolves with Big Fourth-Quarter Effort
January 7, 2023 – National Lacrosse League (NLL) – Halifax Thunderbirds News Release
ALBANY, NY – The Halifax Thunderbirds (3-1) got back into the win column Saturday night, defeating the Albany FireWolves (1-2) 14-11 at MVP Arena.
The contest opened as a low-scoring affair, with the first goal not coming until the 4:29 mark. sign. Charlie Kitchen opened the scoring but his marker was quickly followed by a pair from Chris Boushy. The hosts responded with goals from Hiana Thompson, Connor Kelly and Ethan Walker.
Albany held a 4-2 lead after one quarter, but Halifax continued to work to cut the lead. The Thunderbirds scored four of the first five goals in the second to jump ahead. Randy Staats’ rating was followed by Eric Fannell, Ryan Benesch and Boushy.
Connor Kelly got things back on track with a power play goal. Austin Shanks and captain Cody Jamieson got revenge for the Thunderbirds, giving the team a two-goal lead late in the second. But a last-second field goal by Patrick Kaschalk made it 8-7 at halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, the two teams were on the defensive. Kieran McArdle and Thompson put the FireWolves back in front, but Fannel scored his second of the night with three seconds left in the third. The two teams came into fourth place with nine goals each.
In the decisive frame, the teams exchanged two goals. Goals from Nick Chaykowsky and Connor Kelly were countered by Fannell and Boushy. Staats gave Halifax the lead again with 6:46 left. remaining in order, and from there, the Thunderbirds began to pull away. Clarke Petterson added his lone goal, while Fannell capped a massive night with a fourth to ice things with less than two minutes to play.
Staats was the offensive leader once again for the Thunderbirds, finishing the night with nine points (2G, 7A). Fannell had six points (4G, 2A), while four other Halifax forwards finished with four-point nights. Warren Hill finished the night with 43 saves, good for a .796 Sv%.
It was a big night for milestones as well. With his four points, Benesch passed Gary Gait for seventh all-time in points scored. Jake Withers has also surpassed 1,200 face-offs in wins, becoming just the 11th player in league history to reach the mark.
Fannell surpassed 100 career points, while Graeme Hossack hit the 800-point plateau with nine in the game.
The FireWolves were led by Kelly’s five points (4G, 1A), followed by McArdle’s four (1G, 3A). Goalie Justin Geddie got the nod and the loss, finishing with 61 saves.
The Thunderbirds fall to 3-1 on the year with the win. The team returns to The Nest on January 13th for another showdown with the FireWolves. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET.
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