Week 3 of the NLL season involved all 14 teams taking the field, from one side of the North American continent to the other. Three clubs made their regular-season debut, with the Oshawa FireWolves serving as the only squad to find themselves active in all three weeks of the early campaign. This three-day stretch of box lacrosse nirvana was both action-packed and full of late-game drama.
Friday’s lone matchup occurred in the Canadian capital city, with the hometown Black Bears hosting the defending runner-up, the Saskatchewan Rush. Ottawa jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Rush posted seven consecutive scores, flipping the game to a 7-3 differential. Ottawa then made it clear that they had zero interest in falling to 0-2, ripping off eight of the final nine goals, en route to an 11-8 triumph.
Jeff Teat was not of this planet, scoring four and assisting on five more. The Cornell alum now stands as the fastest player in NLL history to amass 500 points, doing so in a mere 72 games. Newly acquired Rob Hellyer also came up huge for the victors, posting three scores and five helpers. Reilly O’Connor was in the holiday spirit, dishing out a stellar five assists.
Zach Manns tallied a hat trick for the now 1-1 Rush. Robert Church’s two-goal, one-assist showing brought the franchise icon to the 900-point plateau for his legendary career, making him only the 23rd player in League history to accomplish the milestone.
The Black Bears excelled on the defensive side of the field, allowing only 46 shots on goal, with keeper Zach Higgins knocking down 38 of those blasts.
Next Up for Ottawa in Week 4: at Las Vegas | Saturday 10:00PM ET on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+
Next Up for Saskatchewan in Week 4: vs. Georgia | Saturday 8:00PM ET on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+
The Colorado Mammoth and Philadelphia Wings faced off in a Saturday matinee at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Mammoth traveled to America’s birthplace, riding high after a week-one win over the Vancouver Warriors, while the Wings took to the turf for their opening game of the young season. Thanks in large measure to the robust play of Philly goalie Nick Damude, the Wings outlasted the Mammoth 8-7. Damude’s dominance featured a 52-save masterpiece, including a massive stop in the closing seconds of the fourth, securing the win.
Sam LeClair and Dalton Young combined for nine assists, with Joe Resetarits and Eric Fannell tallied two goals apiece in the balanced Philly effort. Second-year sensation Brennan O’Neill made his presence felt courtesy of his one-score, two-helper output.
Will Malcom, Dylan McIntosh and Jalen Chaster each scored two goals for the Mammoth in the loss.
Next Up for Philadelphia in Week 4: at Rochester | Saturday 7:00PM ET on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+
Next Up for Colorado in Week 4: Bye
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One of the most anticipated matchups of the weekend took place at KeyBank Center, with the stacked Halifax Thunderbirds going toe-to-toe with the three-time defending champion Bandits. With more than 17,000 fans bearing witness, Dhane Smith led the charge early, finding the back of the net on two occasions, during the evening’s first two minutes and six seconds. Halifax quickly tied it, with Buffalo reclaiming a 7-4 advantage in the third quarter. The Nova Scotians turned the tables, garnering an 8-7 fourth-quarter lead, only for Josh Byrne to even the doings at 8-8, pushing this slugfest into overtime. 26 seconds into the bonus frame, Clarke Petterson buried the game-winner, silencing the fan-packed arena.
Petterson and Dawson Theede each scored hat tricks, with Randy Staats and Ryan Terefenko each adding six assists. Warren Hill followed up his historic Week 2 masterclass with an exceptional Week 3 performance, stopping 45 of 53 shots.
For Buffalo, Smith delivered a 3-goal, 4-assist effort, and Byrne contributed 3 goals and 3 assists. The ageless Matt Vinc engulfed 31 of 40 attempts at paydirt.
In the wake of what could very well be an NLL Finals preview, both franchises will take next weekend off to ponder what may lie ahead.
Next Up for Halifax in Week 4: Bye
Next Up for Buffalo in Week 4: Bye
HAMILTON, CANADA – DECEMBER 13: 2025 NLL regular season: Calgary Roughnecks vs Toronto Rock at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Christian Bender/NLL)
The Rock returned to downtown Hamilton and the newly renovated TD Coliseum (formerly known as the FirstOntario Centre). Fueled by a young roster loaded with playmakers, the Rock slipped past the Calgary Roughnecks 11–10. After a night of trading blows, Josh Dawick broke the deadlock and lifted the home team to a 10–8 fourth-quarter lead before Riley Loewen singlehandedly brought the Roughnecks back, connecting on consecutive goals, tying the melee 10-10. Chris Boushy made it 11-10, with just over three minutes remaining, sealing the win in the Rock’s return to their home arena.
Dawick and Boushy’s final quarter exploits defined a night in which both men notched a hat trick. Young studs C.J. Kirst, Owen Hiltz and Sam English performed admirably for the Hamilton faithful, compounding four goals and eight assists to their ever-growing resume of accomplishments. Nick Rose enjoyed his return to “The Hammer,” clanging 38 of 48 balls back onto the TD Coliseum’s shiny green turf.
Loewen and Noah Manning each collected hat-tricks for Calgary, as Tyler Pace and Brayden Mayea each dished out six assists. The Roughnecks move to 0-2 on the season.
Next Up for Toronto in Week 4: Bye
Next Up for Calgary in Week 4: Bye
GOODNESS GRACE, how bout that for a welcome to the NLL👀@GeorgiaSwarmLAX pic.twitter.com/C94Yuev17H
— NLL (@NLL) December 14, 2025
Coming off a 15–11 loss to the Bandits in Week 1, the Georgia Swarm returned home to Duluth and put together to a 9–5 win over the Oshawa FireWolves, who have now dropped two straight after their opening-week victory over the Rock. While many games this weekend brought Hollywood-style drama, the Swarm kept things calm, controlling a fourth quarter that never got closer than three goals. Former NLL MVP Shayne Jackson led the way with a hat trick, and Lyle Thompson added a goal and three assists. Georgia’s attack was spread across the lineup, with seven different players finding the scoresheet in a well-balanced effort.
Alex Simmons was a bright spot for the now 1-2 FireWolves, scoring three and assisting on one more.
In a battle of respected goaltenders, Brett Dobson snared 51 of 56 shots, while masked counterpart Doug Jamieson tallied 37 saves.
Next Up for Georgia in Week 4: vs. Saskatchewan | Saturday 8:00PM ET on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+
Next Up for Oshawa in Week 4: vs. Vancouver| Friday 7:30PM ET on NLL Friday Night on TSN
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The highly touted Warriors made up for an opening game loss to the Mammoth with an offensive explosion in a win over the visiting Las Vegas Desert Dogs, 15-9. Just shy of 10,000 fans filled Rogers Arena on an evening where the Warriors’ brightest stars lit up the British Columbia sky. Keegan Bal scored four goals and four assists, with Adam Charalambides, Curtis Dickson and Jesse King combining for six goals and 10 assists. The great Christian Del Bianco shined as brightly as his running teammates, stopping 44 shots on goal.
The Desert Dogs began their regular season without their big offseason signing, Chase Fraser, who missed the game due to a pregame injury. Vegas was also without star forwards Jack Hannah and Connor Kirst. New arrivals Mitch Jones and Chris Cloutier played well in their maiden Las Vegas voyages, with both newcomers posting one goal and two assists.
Vancouver came out of the gates red hot and jumped out to a 7-2 halftime before making a 14-4 game in the third quarter.
Next Up for Las Vegas in Week 4: vs Ottawa | Saturday 10:00PM ET on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+
Next Up for Vancouver in Week 4: at Oshawa | Friday 7:30PM ET on NLL Friday Night on TSN
MAGIC between McConvey & Fields on the quick stick 🪄@RocKnighthawks are on a roll. pic.twitter.com/lyx1lvXNRq
— NLL (@NLL) December 14, 2025
Week 3’s finale unfolded Sunday afternoon just a few miles from the Pacific, and it didn’t take long for the Rochester Knighthawks to make a statement. With 2025 MVP Connor Fields leading the charge, Rochester opened their season and immediately looked dialed in, defeating San Diego 15–7 inside a packed Pechanga Arena. The Knighthawks took control early, storming out to an 8–2 lead in the second quarter. San Diego clawed back to within two in the early third, but that’s as close as things got — the Knighthawks erupted for seven straight goals and slammed the door shut for good.
Fields set the tone with four goals and two assists. Thomas McConvey was everywhere, putting up four goals and five helpers. Ryan Smith stacked a hat trick and four assists, and Ryan Lanchbury delivered two goals and a sharp seven-assist showing.
On the back end, Rylan Hartley was brilliant. He turned aside 58 of 65 shots, including a highlight save where he launched across the crease to erase what looked like a sure goal.
Offensively, the Seals never found rhythm. Only Pat Kavanagh and Dylan Watson managed multiple goals, with Kavanagh adding four assists. Even with Trevor Baptiste dominating the faceoff circle 24–2, San Diego needed far more to keep up. Rochester leaves town 1–0. The Seals fall to 1–1.
Next Up for Rochester in Week 4: vs Philadelphia | Saturday 7:00PM ET on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+
Next Up for San Diego in Week 4: Bye
