The Stars Shined Brightly During Friday Night’s Action

The Champions Are In Midseason Form

The ice-breaking event of the NLL weekend occurred in Ottawa, where the recently out-of-hibernation Black Bears hosted their second-ever game at the Canadian Tire Centre, with the reigning champion Buffalo Bandits serving as the guest of honor. Jacob Dunbar kicked off the festivities with a first-quarter goal, but from then on, the champs were completely in charge of this one. Buffalo quickly turned a 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 lead and never came close to looking back. After concluding the contest with six consecutive lamp lighters, the Bandits cruised to an 18-7 triumph.

Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith combined for 19 total points, with the 2024 MVP blasting two goals and eight assists, while the 2016/2022 MVP tallied two scores and seven helpers. Ian MacKay had a perfect night of sorts scoring five goals on exactly five shot attempts. Chase Fraser also found himself in the middle of the action with two blasts and five aids to his buddies.

Led by Josh Byrne (2G, 8A), Dhane Smith (2G, 7A) and Ian MacKay (5G) the Bandits take down the Black Bears 18-7

👀 GAME RECAP pic.twitter.com/QSqRNL5QD3

— NLL (@NLL) December 14, 2024

From the Ottawa perspective, the great Jeff Teat secured a hat trick, with the aforementioned Dunbar adding two goals to the stat sheet, giving him five thus far in the early season.

Hat Tricks Aplenty In Vancouver

Just shy of 10,000 NLL fans jammed Rogers Arena in downtown Vancouver, where the high-scoring Rochester Knighthawks stood as the opposition for the Warriors, during the franchise’s home opener. Rochester looked strong into the third stanza, holding a 5-3 lead, until the boys from British Columbia fought back and evened the proceedings at 7-7. In the wake of tying the score, Vancouver took matters into their own hands, connecting on the contest’s final three goals, en route to an impressive 10-7 victory.

Keegan Bal led the charge for the Warriors, obtaining a hat trick for the home club. Rookie Johnathan Peshko, whom Vancouver selected with the fourth pick in the 2024 draft, scored the first two rippers of his career, with the Johns Hopkins alum finishing with three total points for the game.

What a night for Keegan Bal in the @VanWarriors 10-7 win over ROC!

⚪ 3 goals
⚪ 11 shots
⚪ 11 loose balls

Bal highlights 👀 pic.twitter.com/MHEfo35qnG

— NLL (@NLL) December 14, 2024

Ryan Smith and Ryan Lanchbury each tabulated hat tricks for the losing Knighthawks, with the normally prolific Connor Fields going scoreless during the 60-minute clash.

Mammoth and Seals Rekindle Rivalry

The Colorado Mammoth and San Diego Seals renewed acquaintances on a cool Southern California night, with the team that calls Pechanga Arena home hitting the locker-room winners of a 14-11 battle of wills. Five second-quarter goals from the Seals proved to be the difference on this Friday, the 13th. The Mammoth attempted to mount a fourth-frame comeback, attaching four straight goals to the scoreboard, but still coming up three tallies shy of the victorious Seals.

Wes Berg was fantastic, scoring four and assisting on three others. Newly acquired Rob Hellyer must thrive off the nearby Pacific Ocean air, as his hot start to the season continued, with two of his shots finding the back of the net and three of his passes allowing teammates to achieve the very same. Kyle Jackson notched a hat trick, with Danny Logan scoring two, including an empty netter in the closing seconds of the first quarter.

It was a 4-Goal, 3-Assist night for Wesley Berg as the Seals take down the Mammoth 14-11

👀 HIGHLIGHTS pic.twitter.com/NwOE8hmI34

— NLL (@NLL) December 14, 2024

For the defeated squad from Denver, Connor Robinson recorded three scores and facilitated three more, with Zed Williams, Connor Kelly and Will Malcom each scoring two in a valiant effort from the 2022 NLL champs.