The standings are getting close to being irreversible as we inch towards League-wide crunch time! In this week’s Saturday Showcase, the Seals are off to Alberta for an early shot at clinching a playoff seat.
San Diego, now just shy of the Top 5, is a well-balanced squad on both sides of the ball, but they’ve been putting together quite the show on the offensive end. In their bout against Las Vegas last week, the Seals racked up two sock tricks and 20 goals, making it the highest scoring game in the team’s history. Looking for their third consecutive win this weekend, the Seals have their work cut out for them as they prepare to take on the Roughnecks’ defense.
Led by a combined 24-point effort from Wes Berg and Rob Hellyer, @SealsLax score early and often en route to a 20-11 win over Las Vegas.
GAME RECAP 👇 pic.twitter.com/20K1IlHI6o
— NLL (@NLL) March 16, 2025
Calgary is fresh out of their two-game series against the Bandits, taking the first 17-11 in Week 15 and falling in the second 11-6 this past Saturday. While the Roughnecks currently hold the number eight spot in the League rankings, they are far from having a comfortable hold on their playoff seat. A loss this weekend could give way for the sub-500 Ottawa and Vancouver to sneak their way up the rankings into the eight-seed. The Roughnecks will need to keep a close eye on San Diego’s Wes Berg and Rob Hellyer, amassing a combined 24 points against the Desert Dogs, and stay aware of the Seals’ spread offense, opening up the middle for quick, flashy passes to the inside cutters. But if the Roughnecks can stay packed in and get the ball upfield quickly, a win is well within the realm of possibility.
The reigning champs and the reigning runner-ups are back under the same roof once again! The Bandits find themselves in Albany for the second game of their weekend doubleheader, facing off against the Firewolves during their Celebrate 518 Night presented BY Fenimore Asset Management. The two first met this season just seven short weeks ago at KeyBank Center, where the Bandits found themselves a 16-10 win over the Firewolves.
The @NLLBandits take the 16-10 dub over Albany in a rematch of the NLL Finals!
GAME HIGHLIGHTS 👀 pic.twitter.com/UUvHnEZQNY
— NLL (@NLL) February 2, 2025
It’s no secret that the two have become polar opposites since then, with the Bandits keeping a firm grip on the throne as the Firewolves struggle to find consistency. Albany has found some success in their last two games, narrowly squeezing out wins against Georgia and Philadelphia, but they’ll need to do more than skate by to send the Bandits packing. An early lead and an emphasis on defensive communication (two keys to their win over the Swarm last weekend) will prove crucial to keeping the Bandits offense at bay, as well as precise and intentional ball movement to pull Buffalo goalstop Matt Vinc out of the pipes and open skip lines to the far-side pipe.
While the game plan sounds simple enough on paper, in practice, the Bandits are not so easy to account for. Though the Firewolves are hosting Buffalo for their second game of the weekend, they won’t be able to bank on lethargy as the Bandits have proven time and again they are equally formidable the day after as they are the day of.
As the Bandits prep for the Championship Rematch-rematch, the Las Vegas Desert Dogs are popping in the night before to disrupt the zen flow of Buffalo’s Mental Health Awareness Night.
Join us Friday night in Banditland for Mental Health Awareness Night!
🔸 Mental health advocacy groups in the concourse
🔸 Messages from Bandits players
🔸 Fan participation wall artwork to collect messages of support on the 100-levelGet your tickets: https://t.co/bd26hhYk2V pic.twitter.com/gNN8LtQsB6
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) March 19, 2025
The Desert Dogs have had their hands full the last several weeks, with acclimating new players, rehabbing injuries, and just being unable to catch a break in the win category. After finally winning their third win of the season against Colorado in Week 13, Las Vegas hasn’t been able to get back into the win column. The Desert Dogs dropped their third consecutive loss in San Diego on Sunday.
Seals vs. Desert Dogs, March 16, 2025 – Photo credit: Alexis Goeller
The season so far has been riddled with miscues and an inability to generate consistently on either side of the ball, but their trip to Buffalo is the perfect opportunity to shock the league and prove doubters wrong. However, the Desert Dogs are going to be pulling double shifts against the Bandits, meaning their use of substitutions will need to be as smooth as ever. Additionally, forward Adam Poitras, who has become an integral part of the Las Vegas offense in his rookie season, has been moved to the Injured Reserve List after taking a beating early on in last week’s Sunday matinee against San Diego.
In the absence of one of their regular goal scorers, the Desert Dogs have signed former Toronto defender Sheldon Burns to a one-year agreement to bolster their defensive line, but it’s still unclear whether he’ll be dressing out this weekend.
Saddle up and strap in, sheriffs– it’s time for a regular ol’ honky tonk git-down at Scotiabank Centre, as the Thunderbirds get right to host the Black Bears!
WAKE UP! It’s #GAMEDAY!
Our third of three straight at home as we close up our season series with @ottblackbears for Country Night inside The Nest
🕖 7pm AT
📍 @ScotiabankCtr
💻 TSN+ // ESPN+
🎟️ https://t.co/8mQMFFCHhz pic.twitter.com/ov8j1flRTb— Halifax Thunderbirds (@HFXThunderbirds) March 21, 2025
Ottawa is slapping on their chaps and slipping into their finest denim slacks (donning their most flattering Canadian tuxedos) for the first game of their doubleheader, and a rematch, at that! The two first met in Week 13, where the Thunderbirds found themselves with a 14-9 win in the nation’s capital, and they don’t seem keen on letting the Black Bears leave with the belt. As Hallifax continues their team effort to clinch a playoff spot with a win, there are several individual milestones hanging in the balance for the Thunderbirds. Defender Tyson Bell needs just six pickups to reach 800 career loose balls, and on the other side of the ball, forward Cody Jamieson needs 15 points in any shape or form to become the 17th player in NLL history to reach 1,000 career points.
On the other hand, the Black Bears are simply looking to get ahead. After an unexpected home loss to the Rochester Knighthawks last week, Ottawa again finds itself just out of the running, trailing ever so slightly behind in the tenth seat in the standings. A road win in Halifax this weekend could be the difference between eighth and tenth for the Black Bears, as long as they keep the steam through ‘till Sunday.
After a well-earned bye in Week 15, and a win this past week in the City of Brotherly Love, the Mammoth are gearing up for a no-holds-barred slugfest in the Canadian Capital. Colorado, despite their unexpected loss to the Desert Dogs in Week 13, has maintained their spot in the Top 4… for now, of course. The Mammoth are now all that stand between the Black Bears and their coveted inaugural playoff appearance, as a two-win weekend for Ottawa has the potential to initiate the ticket-punching process.
Having made the necessary adjustments following the monumental loss of Zed Williams and Eli McLaughlin through the remainder of the season, the Mammoth have maintained their intensity and their creative spark, welcoming the unexpected changes and late additions. Their cool-headedness and attention to the mental game of lacrosse make them an undeniably formidable opponent in these later weeks, one that Ottawa will need to find a countermeasure against– and fast!
What makes the Georgia Swarm such an intense team to play is their constant underdog mentality. Even when they were undefeated, they played with a chip on their shoulder as though they hadn’t won a game in decades. If they’re that intense when they’re winning, they’ll be nothing short of dangerous as they look to clip their two-game losing streak. Following a brutal last-minute loss to the Albany Firewolves last weekend, the Swarm are now out for blood as they make their way to BC West Coast to bring the hurt to Vancouver.
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The Warriors, however, have found themselves in an interesting position. After several franchise-altering trades in the weeks prior, Vancouver found their first home win since Week 9 with their freshly gold-plated goalkeeper Christian Del Bianco in net, stopping a whopping 49 shots in his home debut alongside several of his longtime teammates and friends. While their chemistry is undeniable, their consistency is now the big thing in question– was CDB the Warriors’ missing link all along, or will the Southern Swarm show ‘em how it’s done?
Photo: Jaclyn McKee
Suit up and roll out, Toronto fans, it’s Marvel Super Hero Night! The Rock unveiled this week their Captain America themed kits for the evening and opened up the bidding for game-worn jerseys for willing fans (and no, the irony is not lost on us either). Saturday’s matchup in Toronto will host the struggling Philadelphia Wings, who following last weekend’s home loss to the Colorado Mammoth, have released rookie faceoff specialist Steve DelleMonache from the Active Roster for forward Michael Sowers, returning from the Practice Players List.
Rogers = Super Hero
TMRW @ #RockCity🎸 pic.twitter.com/GVNpv3wlES
— Toronto Rock (@TorontoRockLax) March 21, 2025
Between injuries, trades, and perhaps inexplicable strokes of bad luck, the two teams find themselves treading water over the bottom of the rankings, just out of the reach of the Desert Dogs, still holding down last place. As we near the final weeks of the regular season, the Rock and the Wings find themselves in dire straits. Both teams are in serious need of a win to energize a last-minute dash to the eight-seed. Though the mountain may seem too high to climb, the Rock has the chance to prove they have what it takes to be heroes, keeping up the good fight, because that’s what heroes do.
