NLL Quarterfinals: Every Favourite Wins
The NLL quarterfinals provided some incredible lacrosse action, but no actual upsets.
Every favourite won this weekend, as Buffalo, Saskatchewan, Halifax and Vancouver all advanced. They semi-finals begin this weekend, and will be a best two out of three series. Stay tuned to LCD all week long for coverage and previews for the upcoming week!
For game recaps of the quarterfinals, keep reading below!
Buffalo Bandits 5 – San Diego Seals 4
In the lowest scoring game in league history, the Bandits improbably won without scoring a single goal in the second half.
Dhane Smith led the Bandits with a goal and 2 assists. Josh Byrne was held to just 2 assists, and shot 0-12 in the game. Ian MacKay and Kyle Buchanan had 2 points each. But Matt Vinc was the story, making 48 saves (92.3% Save Percentage) in the win.
Chris Origlieri was one stop short but was incredible as well. He made 39 saves, but took the loss. Tre Leclaire had a goal and 2 assists, while Ben McIntosh had 3 assists for the Seals. Wesley Berg shot 1 for 14 in the contest.
Stat of the Game: The Bandits blocked an incredible 17 shots in the game, including 4 each from Paul Dawson and Steve Priolo.
Attendance: 17,703
Saskatchewan Rush 13 – Georgia Swarm 9
The Rush used a number of transition goals to beat the Swarm on home floor and take the next step towards the championship.
Defender Jake Boudreau had 4 goals, while Mike Messenger added another and Jake Naso had one as well. Matt Hossack had 3 assists out the back door as well. Austin Shanks, Clark Walter, and Ryan Keenan each scored twice for the Rush.
Jordan MacIntosh continued his strong second half of the year with 2 goals and 2 assists, while Brendan Bomberry and Bryan Cole scored twice each. Lyle Thompson was held to just a goal and 2 assists.
Stat of the Game: It was the third hat-trick of Boudreau’s career and the first since March 16, 2024. It was also hist first NLL playoff game.
Attendance: 5,434
Halifax Thunderbirds 16 – Calgary Roughnecks 12
In the highest scoring game of the weekend, Halifax beat Calgary in front of a sellout crowd at the Nest.
Thomas Hoggarth had 3 goals and 5 assists to lead the Thunderbirds while Randy Staats had 2 goals and 5 assists. Clarke Petterson and Mike Robinson had 6 points each.
Curtis Dickson had 3 goals and 5 assists to lead the Roughnecks, whole Dane Dobbie had a goal and 5 assists. Tyler Pace added 4 goals.
Stat of the Game: Trevor Smyth scored twice for the Thunderbirds, after coming into the game with just 8 goals in 83 career games.
Attendance: 10,595
Vancouver Warriors 15 – Rochester Knighthawks 10
It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Christian Del Bianco trade, as the Warriors remain undefeated since trading for the goaltender.
Keegan Bal led all scorers this weekend with 5 goals and 6 assists, while Adam Charalambides had 5 assists and Kevin Crowley scored twice. The Warriors got goals from 10 different players.
Ryan Lanchbury had 7 assists to lead the Knighthawks while Connor Fields, Ryan Smith, and Thomas McConvey had a combined 8 goals and 41 shots.
Stat of the Game: Del Bianco made 47 saves for a combined 82.5% save percentage. Rochester’s goalie tandem saved just 71.1% of the shots they faced.
Attendance: 8,164
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