The Halifax Thunderbirds are on their way over to Saskatoon for the remaining bouts of the semifinal series with the Saskatchewan Rush. After a blistering first game in which the Rush took the first victory, taking down the Thunderbirds 16-7 thanks to the enormous offensive efforts of Austin Shanks and Zach Manns, amassing a combined 15 points, Saskatchewan looks to take the series in Game 2. But while the rest of the rosters leave a title run on the line, two players are suiting up with a little more on the line– bragging rights.
Graeme and Matt Hossack, defenders for Halifax and Saskatchewan, respectively, are gearing up for the next two rounds of a sibling rivalry that transcends their backyard brawls. The NLL was first introduced to the Hossack lineage when Graeme was drafted by the original Rochester Knighthawks in the 2015 Entry Draft, followed closely by his younger brother Matt’s signing to the Saskatchewan Rush the next year. Since the Hossack brothers’ addition to the League, the two have carved out irreplaceable niches for themselves on the defensive ends of their teams, as Graeme has secured a number of accolades over the course of career so far, including three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year nominations and wins from 2018-2020, while Matt helped his Saskatchewan Rush to an NLL Championship in 2018.
This year’s semifinal series marks the first postseason matchup between the Hossack Brothers since the 2018 NLL Finals between the Rush and the original Rochester Knighthawks. With Game 1 already in the books, the Brothers Hossack are already making moves to inch ahead of the other. During their bout, Matt picked up three points, eight loose balls, two blocked shots and two caused turnovers– a highlight-level return to the playoffs in his first season back with the Rush after being brought home in the Panther City dispersal draft. On the Halifax hawke chart, Graeme was no slouch either, keeping his defense locked tight despite a slew of penalties late in the second half. On top of it all, Graeme scooped up six loose balls of his own and threw down two caused turnovers.
Halifax Thunderbirds and Rochester Knighthawks on January 18 2025 at the Scotiabank Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Thunderbirds)
Despite their momentous family feud, according to the Hossack family, there has been very little trash-talking or communication between the two during the lead-up to Game 1 or this weekend’s doubleheader. “It’s just always our thing, we keep it somewhat quiet to let ourselves get ready for our games,” said Graeme. According to the Hossack brothers, communication falls to the wayside during game weeks, leaving just enough bandwidth for the two to share civilized chatter should they bump into each other outside of the boards. “We know that we do have a lot of respect and care for each other, we don’t want to forget we’re competing against each other, so we let that tension build up.”
Matt agreed, jokingly explaining that when the two don’t have anything nice to say during game weeks, they don’t say anything at all. “The group chat goes quiet to let each other focus on the game and we leave it at that.”
For the Hossacks, preparation is key to their individual game plans, with each brother following their own unique routines to steel themselves to one-up the other. After an unexpected loss, Graeme and his Thunderbirds are on the semifinal road to reflection, keeping a keen eye on the game tape for minor and major adjustments to both their physical and mental game. “Right now it’s about getting back to some of those fundamentals from the first round of the playoffs, even later in the season,” Graeme explained. “There are a couple of things that we look a little hesitant on, so getting back to that will be beneficial for Game 2 and Game 3.”
The Saskatchewan Rush host the Ottawa Black Bears at Sask Tel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, April 19, 2025
On the opposing bench, and with a win under his belt in the series so far, Matt has taken a calmer approach to his Game 2 preparations, allowing himself the opportunity to repair and refortify his mental and physical self, “I’m doing a lot of the same stuff from throughout the season, [paying] a little extra attention to making sure I’m getting proper rest, proper nutrition, and just having a solid week in the gym.”
On the opposite side of the bracket, the Buffalo Bandits have already clinched their fifth straight appearance in the NLL Finals, and now patiently await the winner of this weekend’s semifinal series. With Buffalo no longer playing their scheduled third game after taking their semifinal series against the Vancouver Warriors 2-0, all eyes will be on the SaskTel Centre as Halifax and Saskatchewan stand alone as the only teams on air this weekend. But despite their solitary schedule, the Hossack brothers are not feeling the heat. “We’re not too focused on anything else but Halifax at the moment,” said Matt. “It’s nice to keep the blinders on and get a little bit of tunnel vision, just focusing on our opponent.”
“I wouldn’t say there’s any more or less pressure than any other weekend in the playoffs,” said Graeme. “We have to expect another push from the Rush; they’re trying to close out the series, and we have to step up our game from the first weekend.”
While Saskatchewan currently leads the series, the Thunderbirds are by no means out of the equation. The two teams saw each other twice in the regular season, with Saskatchewan finding the win in overtime during their first matchup in Week 3, and Halifax getting their revenge in Week 16. With Saskatchewan taking Game 1, the Rush are currently on track with their regular season record against the Thunderbirds, making this weekend’s first outing the Rush’s opportunity to break the pattern.
Matt Hossack finishes off the give-and-go with Clark Walter to give @SaskRushLAX a 7-4 lead at halftime over Halifax. pic.twitter.com/WmkzLpRTY9
— NLL (@NLL) May 3, 2025
“It’s going to be a much closer game than what we saw in game one,” Matt conceded. “I don’t know if it’ll write itself the same way as either of our games during the season, but I would expect a much different effort from Halifax– we know they’re real good.”
The Nest in Halifax was silenced in Game 1 of the Semifinals with @SaskRushLAX handily beating the Thunderbirds 16-7. Austin Shanks led with a sock trick.
GAME RECAP 👇 pic.twitter.com/7GFY3JJT88
— NLL (@NLL) May 4, 2025
In true brotherly fashion, the Hossacks, despite their outspoken support and praise for each other in public, are as fierce as competitors come. In 2020, Matt told the Thunderbirds that “games [against] his brother had a little bit more energy associated with them because of the competitive nature of [their] relationship.” Having grown up on their family farm and grown into the athletes they are today on many of the same teams, the two developed a healthy rivalry that has since bled into their professional careers and still holds true to this day.
“Every time we see Halifax on the schedule, I know that it’s going down,” Matt laughed. “It’s always fun, usually a lot of extra energy because of how close we are.” Matt added that their commitment to a no-contact relationship during Hossack vs Hossack matchups has given them a better understanding of each other as people and players, even giving them the ability to almost read each other’s minds, “We spent so many years together, we know each other pretty well.”
But above all the glory, their pride as brothers and competitors always takes center stage during their League-sanctioned headbutting. “I don’t want to lose to my younger brother but it’s happened before, and I’m sure he doesn’t wanna lose to his older brother either,” said Graeme. As Graeme explained, though his competitive spirit and desire to take his team to greater heights do ultimately take center stage in his mind, he can’t help but root for his little brother, “It’s a little mixed in terms of how we want to discuss it, we’re obviously disappointed that we lost, but at the same time, we’re a little bit proud of each other and how much work we’ve both put in.”
As if their own sibling quarrels weren’t enough to fuel the fire, it seems even the Hossack brothers’ parents’ attempts at peaceful resolution only riles them up further. At the games he’s able to attend, their father Brad Hossack opts to wear the jersey of whichever home team he’s visiting and the away team’s hat whenever he goes to see his boys compete. During last weekend’s head-to-head at the Scotiabank Centre, he was wearing a Thunderbirds jersey, but this weekend, fans can expect to see him donning the neon Rush jersey for Games 2 and 3. However, where Father Hossack had hoped to find a peaceful solution to supporting both of his boys, the Brothers Hossack found an extra helping of game day motivation. “The hat worked really well for me last weekend,” said Matt. “We’ll see if it works for Graeme.”
Halifax, Nova Scotia – Mar 14: National Lacrosse League game between the Halifax Thunderbirds and Saskatchewan Rush on March 14 2025 at the Scotiabank Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Thunderbirds)
Despite the obvious humor associated with their father’s choice of game day gear, both his boys agree that his attempts at a peaceful resolution in the Hossack support section (and sure-fire solution to avoiding home team harassment in the stands) hold true as a reminder of their parents’ support. “He’s always been super supportive of both of us, and his way of supporting both of us when we’re playing each other is always nice,” Graeme said. “Most people think it’s kind of funny that he’ll do that but I know he’s trying to find his balance too.” Graeme also explained that despite their different collegiate and professional paths, the Hossack brothers were able to develop similar relationships with their parents, building positive support networks that they say shaped them into the athletes they are today. “It’s a testament to the time and effort they put into making–,” Graeme corrected himself. “Allowing us to play sports.”
With seven and eight years as professional athletes under their belts, and playing with and against each other their entire lives, the Hossack brothers have found there’s no better way to play. “As long as we’re playing, it will still be a rivalry,” said Matt. “It runs deep and it’ll probably hold true till the day we die.” Though the two have shared the dream to one day play alongside each other on the road to the NLL Cup, they must once again take the floor as combatants, with room in the bracket for only one more finalist.
