Game Preview: Warriors vs Seals

For the first time in over 630 days, the San Diego Seals will hit the floor in San Diego on Friday, December 3 for the NLL’s 35^th anniversary season opener. The team welcomes the Vancouver Warriors for Opening Night at Pechanga Arena with face-off set for 7:00 pm PT.

“We’ve been looking forward to this night for a very long time,” said Seals President Steve Govett. “I can speak for our entire team, coaching staff and front office when I say we’ve been counting down the days until we can get back inside Pechanga Arena to play the game we love. We’ve all been through a lot over the past 20 months and we’re ready to celebrate our city and put on a show on Friday night.”

The 2021-22 Seals squad features 15 returners, five rookies (four first rounders) and the addition of 2019 NLL MVP Dane Dobbie. Captain Brodie Merrill and starting goaltender Frank Scigliano are two familiar faces fans will recognize Opening Night. A young, dynamic, athletic group, the team hopes to come out the gate ready for any challenge.

“We have the upmost confidence in this team,” said General Manager and Head Coach Patrick Merrill. “Our core group is back, which was one of our main priorities. We’ve got a team-first mentality. I know I’m excited, our coaches and players are excited, and it’ll be a special time running out on our turf again for the first time.”

San Diego and Vancouver will kick off the NLL’s face-off weekend when the two West Division rivals meet for a Friday night showdown. This will be the first of three meetings between the pair. The Seals boast a 5-1 record all-time versus the Warriors. San Diego swept both games, including an overtime thriller, before the pandemic-shortened season.

“They always play us tough,” continued Merrill. “It’s never easy and every game feels like it comes down to the final whistle. We need to be prepared in all aspects of the game. They’ve added some new faces, so have we, it’ll be fun to get out there and compete. Over our short tenure, we’ve played Vancouver a lot and we know what we’re getting into. We need to have a full effort from every player for the full 60-minutes.”

Tickets for Friday night’s game are available at SealsLax.com starting at only $12.03. Fans unable to attend the game will be able to watch the game on FOX 5 San Diego and ESPN+. ESPN will stream all San Diego Seals games throughout the 2021-22 season.