The Halifax Thunderbirds and Georgia Swarm concluded their semifinal series this past weekend, going the distance to decide who would face the Toronto Rock in the NLL Finals. Halifax won Game 1 last week in Georgia by a score of 12-7, behind four goals from Jason Knox, nine points from Clarke Petterson, and 35 saves from goaltender Warren Hill. The series shifted to Halifax for Games 2 and 3 despite Georgia being the higher seed, due to booking conflicts at Gas South Arena resulting in the Swarm not having an available home date for Game 3.
Game 2: Georgia 21, Halifax 10 (series tied 1-1)
The Swarm bounced back in Game 2, with their offense shooting at over 40% efficiency in a 21-10 victory to tie the series at 1-1. Three Swarm players registered at least nine points: Lyle Thompson (4g, 5a), Shayne Jackson (3g, 7a), and Kaleb Benedict (3g, 6a). Nolan Byrne had four goals and an assist, and defender Jeff Henrick tallied two goals in the win. Brett Dobson stopped 44 of 55 Halifax shots, with Devlin Shanahan registering one save in 5 minutes of relief work with the game well in hand. The Swarm also went 4 for 8 on the power play.
Jason Knox (4g) led the way for Halifax once again, and Clarke Petterson had nine assists on the night. Cody Jamieson had two goals and five assists, and Mike Robinson had two goals and an assist. However, the Thunderbirds got just three points from their defense and transition units, with Ryan Terefenko (2a) and Trevor Smyth (1a) the only players to chip in. Hill allowed 12 goals on 29 Georgia shots before being lifted early in the second half for Drew Hutchison, who made 13 saves on 22 shots the rest of the way. Jake Withers won 30 of 34 faceoffs and picked up a game-high 24 Loose Balls in the loss.
Game 3: Halifax 15, Georgia 11 (Halifax wins series 2-1)
Prior to Game 3, both teams made significant roster moves. For Georgia, Toron Eccleston replaced Byrne in the lineup. Halifax re-activated Randy Staats and Max Wilson, with Stephen Keogh and Nonkon Thompson made inactive. Game 3 started out as a repeat of Game 2, with Georgia quickly taking a 3-1 lead and looking like they might run away early. But Halifax stayed composed, leading 7-6 after one quarter and 9-8 at halftime. The Thunderbirds then pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Swarm 6-3 for the 15-11 win.
Withers was outstanding once again, winning 26 of 30 faceoffs, picking up 29 Loose Balls, and contributing two assists. Petterson had another nine points (2g, 7a), and Knox another hat trick (3g, 3a). Jamieson (2g, 3a) and Staats (1g, 4a) each had five points, and Brendan Bomberry and Wake:Riat Bowhunter each scored two goals. Hill turned aside 37 of 48 shots, and the Thunderbirds went 4 for 6 on the power play.
Eccleston finished with a hat trick and five points for the Swarm. Jackson had six points (2g, 4a) and Bryan Cole had two goals and an assist. However, Lyle Thompson was held to four assists, Benedict to two assists, and Jordan MacIntosh was kept off the scoresheet entirely by the Thunderbirds defense. Dobson saved 43 of 58 shots, but the normally disciplined Swarm had twice as many PIM as Halifax (24-12), highlighted by a 5-minute major and 10-minute game misconduct penalty against Ben Trumble for boarding. The Swarm went 2 for 5 on the power play in the loss, but have a great deal of young talent to dominate this league for years to come.
