Week 8 of the NLL slate featured every team in action. Storylines include a stinging Swarm performance on location in Edmonton, Jeff Teat and Dhane Smith dazzling the Buffalo crowd, absolute theater in Vancouver and Rochester, hot Mammoth and Rush squads – and a one-man stage act in Las Vegas. Take your seats folks and enjoy the show!
EDMONTON, ALBERTA – January 16, 2026: The National Lacrosse League (NLL) presents the UnBOXed Series from Rogers Place. Calgary Roughnecks vs Georgia Swarm. (Photo by Cliff McCaig/NLL).
The NLL UnBOXed Series took downtown Edmonton by storm on Friday, as 7,000 fans made their way to Rogers Place for a matchup between the Calgary Roughnecks and the Georgia Swarm. While the Roughnecks may have possessed the home-province advantage, it was the visitors from the South who felt extremely comfortable in the home venue of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, taking a 19-9 win. Georgia jumped out to 6-0 and 7-1 leads in the first, later taking an 11-2 benefit into halftime, the game already on ice for the Swarm.
Hat Tricks in High Demand for Swarm
After a slow start to the season, Lyle Thompson looked like his old self, scoring four and assisting on six more. Toron Eccleston, fresh of the IR, added four goals and one helper, with Bryan Cole and Shayne Jackson posting hat tricks, along with five and three assists, respectively. Kean Moon scored his very first career goal – and then his second. Brett Dobson was amazing between the pipes, barricading 31 of 35 shots, in three quarters of play. Backup Devlin Shanahan took the reins in the fourth.
Cook and Pace Continue to Produce
Tanner Cook was strong in defeat, notching three goals and three assists. Tyler Pace and Brayden Mayea added a pair apiece for the overwhelmed Roughnecks. Cam MacLeod and Aden Walsh split time in net, allowing nine and 10 goals, correspondingly.
Records: GA 3-3, CGY 1-5
Next Up for Georgia in Week 9: Saturday, at Toronto Rock
Next Up for Calgary in Week 9: Bye
Buffalo Bandits against the Ottawa Black Bears on Jan. 16, 2026 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. (Caroline Sherman/NLL)
17,000 NLL fanatics jammed KeyBank Center to witness a back-and-forth clash between the three-time defending champion Bandits and the visiting Ottawa Black Bears. Through the first three quarters, no club held more than a two-goal lead. With Buffalo holding a 7-6 edge in the fourth, Ottawa rattled off four-consecutive goals, three of which were delivered via the magic stick of Jeff Teat. Holding a 10-7 advantage, Josh Byrne and Kyle Buchanan cut the separation to one, with the fellas from the Canadian capital surviving a Dhane Smith last-second rocket, laying claim to a 10-9 win.
This Teat Guy is Good at Lacrosse
Mr. Teat finished his evening near Lake Erie with five goals, two assists and nine loose ball recoveries. Rob Hellyer remains one of the great stories of the season, adding two scores and five helpers to his stellar campaign. Reilly O’Connor was in a very generous mood, doling out a half dozen assists. Zach Higgins did the job defending the twine, knocking down 45 of 54 blasts.
Dhane Smith Went Stride for Stride with Teat
The 2016/2022 MVP matched Teat’s seven points, tallying three goals and four assists. Tehoka Nanticoke supplemented two goals. Not to be forgotten, Ryan Benesch helped his teammates on four of the scores. Matt Vinc was solid in the crease, stopping 37 of 47 attempts.
Records: OTT 4-3, BUF 3-3
Next Up for Ottawa in Week 9: Friday, host Vancouver Warriors
Next Up for Buffalo in Week 9: Bye
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Playing in front of 10,000 fans in downtown Halifax, the Colorado Mammoth continued their Jack Hannah-inspired surge, besting the hometown Thunderbirds 11-6. After a scoreless first stanza, the mountain men hit the halftime dressing room laying claim to a 6-2 lead, paced by two goals each from Hannah and Andrew Kew, back on the floor for the first time since Week 2. The Nova Scotians sliced the lead to 8-6 in the fourth, only to observe Will Malcom’s natural hat trick, securing the Colorado 11-6 victory.
The Mammoth Are Suddenly a Force
Malcom etched a hatty and six assists, with Kew accumulating a hat trick alongside two assists. Hannah has been outstanding since his Denver relocation, scoring two and assisting on three. Dillon Ward was in ultimate form, blockading 50 of 56 projectiles.
Quiet Night of Offense for Halifax
Cody Jamieson donated a hat trick, while Clarke Petterson and Randy Staats delivered a combined eight points, and that’s about it for the talented T-birds. Drew Hutchison and Warren Hill divvied up the duties in goal, allowing five and six goals respectively. Halifax outshot Colorado 56-47 but only mustered six goals on the evening.
Records: COL 4-2, HFX 3-4
Next Up for Colorado in Week 9: Saturday, host Oshawa FireWolves
Next Up for Halifax in Week 9: Bye
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The San Diego Seals headed up the North American West Coast for a showdown with the Vancouver Warriors. Eleven thousand B.C. lacrosse lovers loaded Rogers Arena for what initially looked to be a runaway but would later serve as a source of high drama, which the visitors took 11-9. The Seals led 6-2 in the second, with the Warriors abruptly leveling the festivities 6-6. A Dylan Watson score sent San Diego to the intermission holders of a 7-6 lead. San Diego extended its separation to 10-7 in the fourth. Undeterred, Vancouver fought back with a vengeance, as Keegan Bal and Marcus Klarich cut the score to 10-9 with less than a minute remaining. With 17 seconds blinking on the clock, Curtis Dickson looked to have completed the comeback, but the goal was not to be as the living legend was called for having his foot in the crease.
San Diego was the Definition of Balanced
Seven Seals engraved their names onto the score sheet, with no player inscribing more than two goals to their ledger. Tre Leclaire, Zach Currier, Pat Kavanagh and Watson each conveyed a twosome of scores. Back from injury, Chris Origlieri got in the way of 41 of 50 shots. San Diego dominated the intangibles department, retrieving 18 more loose balls amid winning the faceoff battle 19-5.
Warriors Stalwarts Led the Way
Adam Charalambides posted a hat trick, with Bal producing two goals and two assists. Christian Del Bianco defended 46 of 56 hoists.
Records: SD 2-3, VAN 3-2
Next Up for San Diego in Week 9: Friday, at Philadelphia Wings
Next Up for Vancouver in Week 9: Friday, at Ottawa Black Bears
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With legend Gary Gait and the Syracuse Orange men’s lacrosse team in attendance, the Toronto Rock took a last-minute, 11-10 win at Blue Cross Arena against the high-octane Knighthawks. The Knighthawks launched out of a cannon, racing to a 6-2 halftime lead, thanks to a hat trick from by defending NLL MVP Connor Fields. Trailing 7-4 in the third, the Rock posted seven of the next 10 goals. Rookie sensation Owen Hiltz tied the gathering 10-10 with a few ticks under five minutes outstanding. Then, as 58 seconds blared on the big board, Mark Matthews delivered the game-winner.
Rock Rookies Made Quite the Impact
Hiltz posted a hat trick, as CJ Kirst, Sam English and Hugh Kelleher each found the back of the net. Matthews picked up five points, with Dan Craig offering three total contributions. Nick Rose departed with a third-quarter injury and in relief, Troy Holowchuk shone brightly, spoiling 13 of 16 rockets.
Fields Wants Another MVP
The East Amherst, New York native furnished four goals and two assists. Thomas McConvey and Ryan Lanchbury coalesced for nine points. Rylan Hartley stood tall in defeat, stopping 35 of 46 shots.
Records: TOR 3-2, ROC 4-2
Next Up for Toronto in Week 9: Saturday, host Georgia Swarm
Next Up for Rochester in Week 9: Bye
The Saskatchewan Rush host the Oshawa FireWolves at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, January 17, 2026
The Saskatchewan Rush are playing out-of-this-world lacrosse, with the franchise securing its fifth consecutive triumph, outdoing the Oshawa FireWolves 15-10 at SaskTel Centre. With the score knotted 3-3 in the first, Saskatchewan pelted five straight balls across the goal line, with the contest never drawing closer than two goals. The Rush capped their evening in the prairies with three sequential goals, putting a bow on the five-goal conquest.
Ryan Keenan Has Found His Stride
The 31-year-old son of Rush general manager/co-head coach Derek Keenan followed up his 12-point game from last week with an eight-point night with four goals and four assists. Austin Shanks, Zach Manns and Brock Haley each dispensed two goals, with the trio linking on nine assists. Frank Scigliano was his typical brilliant self, saving 34 of 44 shots. Despite committing five more penalties than Oshawa, the Rush made up for that inadequacy by collecting 20 more loose balls and claiming victory in 22 of 29 faceoffs.
Simmons, Walker and Not Much Else
Alex Simmons was outstanding in a four-goal, two-assist performance. Ethan Walker scored two and helped on one more. Dyson Williams, Tye Kurtz, Taggart Clark and Jackson Nishimura scored one apiece in the difficult five-score defeat.
Records: OSH 2-5, SSK 6-1
Next Up for Oshawa in Week 9: Saturday, at Colorado Mammoth
Next Up for Saskatchewan in Week 9: Bye
Henderson, USA – Jan. 17, 2026: Philadephia Wings vs Las Vegas Desert Dogs at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, USA. (Photo by Candice Ward/National Lacrosse League)
The weekend’s culminating matchup raised the curtain in Sin City, with the Philadelphia Wings falling 10-7 to the home team Desert Dogs. Brennan O’Neill opened the scoring exactly one minute in. Vegas followed with four straight goals, retaining a 5-3 halftime lead. Staking a 6-5 advantage in the third, Adam Poitras took matters into his own hands, scoring a natural hat trick, lowering the curtain on the Wings. For the Desert Dogs, the game featured the lowest number of goals allowed thus far in the season.
Poitras Stole the Show
In addition to Poitras’ hat trick, Connor Kirst had two goals and two helpers, with Chase Fraser scoring twice and Chris Cloutier once. Mitch Jones dealt three assists for the desert dwellers. Landon Kells punched the clock in goal, slapping down 37 of 44 shots.
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Wings Need More Offensive Production
O’Neill finished with two goals and three assists. Eric Fannell pulled the lever on four points, while Joe Resetarits rolled the dice landing on four assists. Nick Damude was strong in goal, stopping 48 of 58 shots aimed his direction.
Records: PHI 1-4, LV 3-3
Next Up for Philadelphia in Week 9: Friday, host San Diego Seals
Next Up for Las Vegas in Week 9: Bye
