It was a busy weekend with eight games throughout the National Lacrosse League, but there weren’t a lot of surprises. There were, however, some incredible performances. We’re just past the mid-season mark and players are starting to dig deep as teams jockey for playoff positioning.
The Bandits stopped a four-game skid in Week 12, narrowly beating Halifax 11-10. The win wasn’t enough to get them back in the Top 8; since Halifax is on a losing skid of its own, this game was evenly matched. Buffalo had an 8-3 lead late in the second but eased up on the gas, and the Thunderbirds took full advantage, quietly chipping away at the lead. Dhane Smith, who led with seven points, broke the 10-10 tie with 2:25 left to play. Josh Byrne had a multi-goal for the first time since January 3 and Matt Vinc had a save percentage of .804, the highest it been since December 28. Next week, the Bandits are in Vancouver – did this win help them recover enough to take on one of the League’s leaders with confidence?
Week 12 Result: Lost to Colorado 13-12
Week 13 Opponent: Bye Week
Previous Ranking: 7th
The Desert Dogs are the only team lately to have proven a threat to the Colorado Mammoth, but they came up a goal short in Friday’s game and now find themselves on a two-game skid. Tied early in the fourth quarter, the Dogs responded to a four-goal run with three of their own but couldn’t find the equalizer. They had been hustling throughout, winning half of the faceoffs and causing 14 turnovers. Losing Chase Fraser has hurt the Dogs, but Chris Cloutier stepped up in his place with a four-goal, three-assist outing, and Mitch Jones scored three goals and added six assists. They get a week to rest and then host Vancouver.
Chris Origlieri (31 – San Diego Seals) during a National Lacrosse League game between the Oshawa Firewolves and the San Diego Seals at the Tribute Communities Centre on February 14, 2026 in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada/David Pickering – Pick’s Pics/NLL
Week 12 Result: Beat Oshawa 13-7
Week 13 Opponent: vs. Halifax (3-6)
Previous Ranking: N/A
San Diego easily handled the FireWolves during Week 12, building up a 9-1 lead in the first half and shutting down a mini comeback attempt in the third quarter. It was a picture-perfect road game for the Seals, who took advantage with four goals on five power play opportunities. Ben McIntosh exploded for five goals, Wes Berg had nine points and Chris Origlieri made 40 saves. As the season goes on, the Seals have been producing a balanced attack and have found their killer instinct.
Ottawa Black Bears @ Rochester Knighthawks 02/14/26 (Credit: Jonathan Tenca/NLL)
Week 12 Result: Beat Rochester 10-8
Week 13 Opponent: Bye Week
Previous Ranking: 8th
Ottawa mounted another comeback amid another spectacular fourth quarter from Jeff Teat. Rochester was leading 4-2 in the second quarter before Ottawa rookie Liam Aston, in his first game, scored his first goal to spark his team. Coming out of halftime, the Black Bears scored seven times to Rochester’s four, with two coming from Teat along with one assist. It would be nice not to have to rely on Teat’s heroics – he has 17 of his 30 goals in the fourth quarter alone – but the team will take them. They now have the chance to create some consistency and string together their first three-game win streak in Week 14 when they face Oshawa.
Denver, Colorado – February 14, 2025: Toronto Rock at Colorado Mammoth at the Ball Arena in Denver Colorado, United States. (Photo by John Matthew Harrison/National Lacrosse League)
CJ Kirst #1 of the Toronto Rock
Week 12 Result: Lost to Colorado 16-8
Week 13 Opponent: vs. Colorado (8-2)
Previous Ranking: 5th
A win over Colorado was always going to be a tall order for the Rock, but giving up 16 goals is not ideal. The Rock return home next week when the series switches to the TD Coliseum in front of their home crowd. Steven Orleman saw his first action for the team since coming over from Buffalo to shore up the goaltending. Starter Troy Holowchuk allowed nine goals on 31 shots before giving way to Orleman, who allowed seven goals on 29 shots from Colorado’s elite shooters.
Saskatchewan, Canada – February 14th, 2026: Vancouver Warriors vs Saskatchewan Rush at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatchewan, Canada (Photo by Jeff Crawford/National Lacrosse League)
Week 12 Result: Lost to Saskatchewan 9-8
Week 13 Opponent: vs. Buffalo (4-5)
Previous Ranking: 3rd
If there was a team the newly energetic Warriors were going to lose to, it was the Rush. Their 9-8 overtime loss to the first-place team, a high-level and evenly matched battle, snapped a three-game win streak in which the Warriors had finally found their identity and their offence had started clicking. The Rush were able to stymie Curtis Dickson, one of the Warriors’ biggest threats, but Adam Charalambides stepped up with a six-point night. Vancouver has a good opportunity to get back on track next week when it hosts the struggling Bandits.
CALGARY, AB – FEBRUARY 15, 2026: The Calgary Roughnecks against the Georgia Swarm at Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday. (Photo by Jenn Pierce/NLL)
Week 12 Result: Beat Calgary 11-6
Week 13 Opponent: Bye Week
Previous Ranking: 4th
The Swarm let the 13th-place Roughnecks stick around in their Sunday night matchup much too long. It was 6-6 heading into the fourth before Georgia shut them down with a 5-0 period in which Brett Dobson made 11 saves in the quarter and 36 overall, continuing his MVP calibre season. Since the January meeting in Edmonton between Georgia and Calgary, both the Swarm and Lyle Thompson have been on a tear. That game kicked off their current five-game win streak, with Thompson picking up 29 points. Georgia easily takes the season series 2-0.
Denver, Colorado – February 14, 2025: Toronto Rock at Colorado Mammoth at the Ball Arena in Denver Colorado, United States. (Photo by John Matthew Harrison/National Lacrosse League)
Week 12 Result: Beat Las Vegas 13-12, Beat Toronto 16-8
Week 13 Opponent: @ Toronto (5-4)
Previous Ranking: 2nd
It was a two-win weekend for the Mammoth, with a close one over Las Vegas before they doubled up on Toronto in the first half of their home-and-home series with the Rock. Their win streak now extends to a franchise-record seven games. Will Malcom returned to score two goals and 11 assists over the weekend, while Andrew Kew and Jack Hannah kept the pressure on their opponents with 16 and 11 points, respectively. Dillon Ward only had to stop 80 shots over the two games, meaning the defence really stepped up in front of him to limit what he had to see. April 11, when the Mammoth meet the Rush, cannot come soon enough.
The Saskatchewan Rush host the Vancouver Warriors at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, February 14, 2026
Week 12 Result: Beat Vancouver 9-8
Week 13 Opponent: at Philadelphia (2-7)
Previous Ranking: 1st
It took until overtime, but the Rush successfully fought off one of the best teams they’ve faced so far, securing themselves an eighth consecutive win. The Warriors actually led most of the game, but the Rush showed their resilience by keeping Vancouver in check, never letting them get too far ahead. Robert Church scored twice, including the game winner, Zach Manns had three and Levi Anderson scored two goals as the offence once again showed off their ability to spread the ball around. Credit also goes to Mike Messenger and Jake Naso for causing the turnover that led to Church’s game-winner.
