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BUF at SD - Sat. 10pm ET on ESPNews Schedule

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WK
1
Fri, Dec 2
FINAL
Philadelphia
8
Halifax
18
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Vancouver
8
Toronto
19
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
San Diego
15
New York
14
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Albany
11
Buffalo
10
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Rochester
16
Georgia
11
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Colorado
6
Saskatchewan
18
WK
2
Fri, Dec 9
FINAL
Las Vegas
11
Panther City
13
Fri, Dec 9
FINAL/OT
Saskatchewan
12
San Diego
13
Sat, Dec 10
FINAL
Toronto
7
Rochester
11
Sat, Dec 10
FINAL
Vancouver
9
Calgary
11
WK
3
Fri, Dec 16
FINAL
Calgary
14
Vancouver
5
Fri, Dec 16
FINAL
Panther City
9
Las Vegas
3
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Buffalo
11
Toronto
8
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Rochester
14
Albany
13
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Philadelphia
13
Georgia
12
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Halifax
20
New York
11
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Colorado
12
Panther City
9
WK
5
Fri, Dec 30
FINAL
Halifax
13
Buffalo
18
Fri, Dec 30
FINAL
San Diego
17
Calgary
14
Sat, Dec 31
FINAL
Panther City
9
Saskatchewan
11
WK
6
Fri, Jan 6
FINAL
Philadelphia
14
Las Vegas
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Panther City
9
Rochester
17
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Halifax
14
Albany
11
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Buffalo
18
Georgia
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Toronto
15
New York
7
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Calgary
8
Colorado
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Vancouver
11
San Diego
16
WK
7
Fri, Jan 13
FINAL/OT
Albany
11
Halifax
10
Fri, Jan 13
FINAL/OT
Saskatchewan
10
Colorado
11
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Halifax
8
Toronto
17
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Panther City
12
Philadelphia
10
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Georgia
9
Buffalo
11
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
San Diego
10
Calgary
14
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Las Vegas
16
Vancouver
19
Sun, Jan 15
FINAL
Rochester
11
New York
8
WK
8
Fri, Jan 20
FINAL
Buffalo
12
Rochester
15
Fri, Jan 20
FINAL
Vancouver
14
Las Vegas
15
Sat, Jan 21
FINAL
Toronto
14
Philadelphia
5
Sat, Jan 21
FINAL
New York
16
Albany
10
WK
9
Fri, Jan 27
FINAL
Rochester
7
Halifax
17
Fri, Jan 27
FINAL
Buffalo
13
Philadelphia
9
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Buffalo
16
New York
10
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Las Vegas
10
Saskatchewan
15
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL/OT
Toronto
11
Calgary
10
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
San Diego
13
Colorado
9
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Panther City
20
Vancouver
7
WK
10
Fri, Feb 3
FINAL
Georgia
10
Colorado
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL/OT
Calgary
12
Halifax
11
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
New York
14
Toronto
22
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Albany
5
Philadelphia
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Rochester
10
Buffalo
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Panther City
10
San Diego
12
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Saskatchewan
14
Vancouver
8
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Colorado
8
Las Vegas
13
WK
11
Fri, Feb 10
FINAL
Toronto
11
Georgia
10
Fri, Feb 10
FINAL
Saskatchewan
6
Calgary
13
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Halifax
14
Rochester
16
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Albany
12
New York
14
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Vancouver
13
Panther City
14
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Colorado
9
Calgary
13
WK
12
Fri, Feb 17
FINAL
Calgary
14
Vancouver
9
Fri, Feb 17
FINAL
Saskatchewan
16
San Diego
11
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Georgia
7
Toronto
16
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Las Vegas
12
Albany
10
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL/OT
Philadelphia
12
Buffalo
13
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Colorado
7
Panther City
13
Sun, Feb 19
FINAL
New York
12
Halifax
13
WK
13
Fri, Feb 24
FINAL
Panther City
12
Colorado
14
Fri, Feb 24
FINAL
Calgary
9
Las Vegas
11
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL/OT
New York
10
Rochester
11
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL
Albany
4
Georgia
20
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL
Vancouver
16
Saskatchewan
12
WK
14
Fri, Mar 3
FINAL
Buffalo
10
Halifax
9
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
New York
12
Philadelphia
19
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Las Vegas
12
San Diego
15
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Rochester
8
Toronto
9
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL/OT
Georgia
9
Albany
8
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Saskatchewan
10
Panther City
16
Mon, Mar 6
FINAL
Toronto
10
Philadelphia
11
WK
15
Fri, Mar 10
FINAL/OT
Halifax
9
Buffalo
10
Fri, Mar 10
FINAL
Calgary
16
Colorado
10
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Albany
6
Toronto
12
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Philadelphia
10
New York
13
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
San Diego
12
Saskatchewan
11
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Vancouver
14
Las Vegas
5
Sun, Mar 12
FINAL
Rochester
19
Georgia
18
WK
16
Fri, Mar 17
FINAL
Saskatchewan
6
Calgary
11
Fri, Mar 17
FINAL
San Diego
16
Vancouver
9
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Georgia
13
Philadelphia
12
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Toronto
12
Halifax
14
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Albany
10
New York
13
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Colorado
13
Buffalo
8
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Las Vegas
8
Panther City
11
Sun, Mar 19
FINAL/OT
Philadelphia
9
Rochester
8
WK
17
Fri, Mar 24
20:30:00
San Diego
Panther City
Sat, Mar 25
19:00:00
Toronto
Albany
Sat, Mar 25
19:00:00
Halifax
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 25
19:30:00
Georgia
New York
Sat, Mar 25
21:30:00
Calgary
Saskatchewan
Sat, Mar 25
22:00:00
Buffalo
San Diego
Sat, Mar 25
22:00:00
Colorado
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 25
22:30:00
Rochester
Las Vegas
WK
18
Fri, Mar 31
19:00:00
New York
Georgia
Fri, Mar 31
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Colorado
Fri, Mar 31
22:00:00
Calgary
San Diego
Sat, Apr 1
19:00:00
Buffalo
Toronto
Sat, Apr 1
20:00:00
Albany
Panther City
Sat, Apr 1
21:30:00
Vancouver
Saskatchewan
Sun, Apr 2
13:00:00
Georgia
Halifax
Sun, Apr 2
18:00:00
Rochester
Philadelphia
WK
19
Sat, Apr 8
19:00:00
Albany
Rochester
Sat, Apr 8
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Georgia
Sat, Apr 8
21:00:00
Panther City
Calgary
Sat, Apr 8
21:00:00
Vancouver
Colorado
Sat, Apr 8
22:30:00
San Diego
Las Vegas
WK
20
Fri, Apr 14
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Calgary
Fri, Apr 14
21:00:00
San Diego
Colorado
Sat, Apr 15
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Toronto
Sat, Apr 15
19:00:00
Georgia
Albany
Sat, Apr 15
19:30:00
New York
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 15
21:30:00
Halifax
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 15
22:00:00
Panther City
Vancouver
WK
21
Fri, Apr 21
20:30:00
Calgary
Panther City
Sat, Apr 22
18:00:00
New York
Halifax
Sat, Apr 22
19:00:00
Georgia
Rochester
Sat, Apr 22
20:00:00
Toronto
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 22
21:30:00
Colorado
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 22
22:00:00
Las Vegas
San Diego
Sun, Apr 23
15:00:00
Philadelphia
Albany
WK
22
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Rochester
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Buffalo
Albany
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Halifax
Georgia
Sat, Apr 29
22:00:00
Colorado
San Diego
Sat, Apr 29
22:00:00
New York
Vancouver
Sat, Apr 29
22:30:00
Saskatchewan
Las Vegas
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Stories/Op-Ed

Gloves Off: Jake Withers

Jake Withers is a defenseman. Sure, he’s pretty good at faceoffs (his average tends to hover around 73%), but first and foremost the 28-year-old from Peterborough, Ontario is a defenseman, and he’d be happy if you referred to him that way, thank you very much.

Regarded as one of the best face-off men in the game, if not THE best, Withers never had an affinity for the position growing up. He was pigeon-holed into it and it’s all Zach Currier’s fault.

Kidding. Withers is incredibly grateful for all the opportunities that faceoffs have given him, so really, he is incredibly content with how things worked out growing up with Currier in the Peterborough minor lacrosse system. The pair are still great friends, and won the 2022 PLL championship together with the Waterdogs.

“It was either me or Zach, we always shared the position back then. He’s become a little more athletic than me, I will admit,” Withers chuckles. “He even played attack for a while. I was maybe a little better than him at faceoffs so I kept taking them when we would travel for tournaments and got good at them.”

As a kid, he saw them as a game within the game but didn’t place much overall importance on them.

“You do them because you have to. You just try and get the ball and if you don’t, who cares, you play defense.”

Now he relishes the chance to be a contributor to his Halifax Thunderbirds in a critical position.

“If that’s what the team needs, and it gets me on the floor, I do it wholeheartedly. I love the position,” he emphasizes. “I love being able to get the ball as much as possible and give the defense a rest. It helps the team get more possessions and puts us in a better position to win games. It’s always a good feeling when you have a good game at the dot but it’s also one of the worst feelings when you have a bad game at the dot. All eyes on you, right?”

Luckily, Withers doesn’t have too many bad games at the dot.

He has yet to have a perfect game in the NLL, but he’s come close. He’s not the only face-off specialist and Trevor Baptiste even broke his rookie record for number of faceoff wins a year after Withers set it. In Halifax’s most recent battle with Baptiste and Philadelphia Wings, the pair each won half of their draws.

He had two perfect games for the MSL’s Peterborough Lakers: August 16, 2018 in a game seven playoff win, and May 31, 2019, and he was a big part of three consecutive Mann Cup Championships.

The nickname “Wiz” is apt: watching him win a faceoff is like watching magic.

Part of his ability to be the best comes from specialized gloves that are created especially for his position. Taking faceoffs requires more protection for Withers’ hands.

“The glove itself is very protective and it fits very well,” he says of the prototypes he’s tried on. “I like gloves that protect you first and foremost but that don’t feel like you’re wearing anything. There are little differences in the thumb and how my thumb reacts to certain scenarios when I’m facing off. It’s really hard to get right. You want movement but you don’t want movement, and you have to be protected the entire time.”

Withers also uses a different stick when taking faceoffs; it has a factory-made head specifically for the position. It snaps back into place, has different flex points and a shorter throat. All things that give one an advantage versus a normal stick.

When he isn’t taking face offs, Withers works for the Thunderbirds doing virtual events for schoolchildren and running community coaching programs. He’s in the process of becoming a firefighter, and taking care of his rescue dog takes a lot of attention.

Withers attended The Ohio State University for economics, not sure of what he wanted to do in addition to lacrosse either before school started or when it ended. Now he’s found his calling in firefighting, and he thanks Paul Dawson for inspiring him.

“Dawson is one of the best people I’ve met through lacrosse. Not only is he a great competitor on the floor, but a really nice dude off the floor,” Withers explains. “He’s a firefighter and I really look up to him and respect him. He told me some stories. It’s a very intense and at times dangerous job but it’s very rewarding, and it’s the perfect job for a professional athlete and a young guy trying to start a family. You work 7-8 days a month, 24-hour shifts, but it’s no walk in the park. You see things that no human being should be exposed to.”

Dawson and Withers played together in Rochester for a year-and-half when Withers was just beginning his NLL journey.

“Jake is a guy that brings so much energy and life to the change room,” Dawson said.

“He’s known for being such a good face-off player but he’s one of the all-around defencemen in our game. As a teammate, he’s a guy that keeps the room loose but he’s such a competitor.”

He has no doubt Withers will make a great firefighter: “It’s got a very big sport and team mentality so coming from lacrosse or hockey he’ll fit right in. The one thing is, you have to put the work in. A guy that’s played DI lacrosse knows how to get that done. If you’re going to do it, put all your eggs in and go for it.”

Withers completed a firefighting course at Training Division in Crowley, TX, which he says that a lot of athletes attend. He just got his truck driving licence and is finishing up some final qualifications before he can start applying for jobs.

“Driving the truck is tough!” he laughed. “My dad is a truck driver so this gave me more of an appreciation for what he does. I’m glad that part is over with! Overall, it’s been enjoyable, and competitive and sometimes stressful trying to piece together this certificate and do this course between practices and travel and games,” he said, but acknowledged he has a good support system that includes teammate Austin Shanks, who was recently hired on at a fire hall in Darlington.

The course in Texas was eye-opening:

“We did two days of live fire training and it was intense. I like to think that I’m a reasonably healthy guy, in good shape, but the live training in full getup is nothing you can prepare for in the gym or playing sports. It’s a totally different kind of stamina and perseverance… The first couple of hours were a big wakeup call. I battled through it but it’s really hard keeping your brain calm when you’re in there, with fire and smoke all around you so you can’t see anything. You have to control your breathing so you don’t run out of the pure oxygen in your cylinder. It was a fun, enjoyable experience and a unique one doing it for the first time. It was tough, but I am passionate about it and hopefully I can get on with a department in the next year or so.”

Staying by his side while he completes his qualifications is his boxer mastiff, 14-month-old Eddie. Withers and his partner Claire adopted Eddie from the Peterborough Humane Society, where he had been rescued after he and his two siblings were left on the side of the road in a cardboard box.

“When we first saw him, Claire started crying and Eddie jumped on her and that was it. They let us take him home and he’s been just a joy ever since. Adopting him was the best decision I’ve ever made,” Withers says proudly.

Eddie is 120 pounds and comes up to Withers’ chest when he stands on his back legs.

“He’s a good boy.”

He’ll miss Eddie when he travels for lacrosse this coming season, but at the same time he can’t wait to get back to Halifax. The Thunderbirds missed two home in 2021-22 games due to Covid restrictions, and Halifax isn’t a place you want to be away from for long.

“It’s very simple, very happy and the people there are very down to earth,” he says. “It’s a very quaint place, kind of slow, but happy. Time moves more slowly and you don’t have a worry in the world out there. The city is busy, but not busy. You go downtown on a Saturday morning to get some breakfast and there are barely any cars out. But then you go into a restaurant or little diner and it’s buzzing. With that said I’ve still only seen a very small part of Nova Scotia.”

He and Claire travelled around the province in April when she came out for a game. Their favourite activity was walking the board walk, which is most beautiful as the sun rises. Withers says spring or summer is better for travel because the snowy and cold winters can be grueling.

And you can’t beat the seafood on the east coast, he says.

“After just one bowl you fall in love with the clam chowder.”

NLL