Season 39 of the National Lacrosse League story commenced with a bang on Friday and Saturday as eight clubs took the field, all of them sharing the same dream of hoisting the NLL Cup high above their heads when the calendar flips from the bone-chilling menace of winter to the soft breezes and endless possibilities of late spring. Here’s how things played out on the floor.
Toronto Rock @ Oshawa FireWolves, 20251128, Tribute Communities Centre – Dyson Williams. Photo by David Pickering/NLL.
The opening faceoff of the season occurred at downtown Oshawa’s Tribute Communities Centre, where a sold-out crowd watched the recently relocated FireWolves defeat the Toronto Rock 8-7 in an absolutely scintillating back-and-forth contest. The game was tied 1-1 after the first; Oshawa led 4-3 at halftime; Toronto led 5-4 after the third. With 3:03 remaining in the fourth, Rock rookie Owen Hiltz tied the game 7-7, only to be outdone by Ethan Walker, who delivered the dramatic game-winner with a mere 52 seconds showing on the scoreboard.
Separated by just 122 Km (75 miles), the newfound rivals from Oshawa and Hamilton are well positioned to further escalate their budding feud, based on both geography and the influx of young talent that permeates both rosters. Friday night was a case in point example of this scenario as Oshawa’s youthful four of Alex Simmons, Ethan Walker, Tye Kurtz and Dyson Williams combined for six goals and eight assists. On the Toronto side of the equation, rookie phenoms C.J. Kirst, the aforementioned Hiltz and Sam English tallied four goals and three assists.
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While the young guys dominated much of the storyline, a couple of wily veterans between the pipes played extremely well, as Nick Rose stopped 32 of 40 shots while Doug Jamieson got in the way of 48 of 55 attempts at paydirt.
Buffalo Bandits against the Georgia Swarm on Nov. 29, 2025 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. (Caroline Sherman/NLL)
A sold-out crowd jammed KeyBank Center to watch the unveiling of the Bandits’ seventh all-time championship banner. A few minutes later, enthusiastic fans observed their beloved Bandits become only the second team in league history to play a game as the three-time defending champions. As the game progressed, Buffalo played without resting on their laurels, defeating the visiting Georgia Swarm 15-11. The Bandits connected on seven of the game’s final nine scores, turning a close third-quarter battle into a comfortable victory by the reigning kings of the sport.
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The Bandits’ old guard showed that plenty of gas remains in the tank, with Dhane Smith leading the charge, posting four goals and four helpers. Josh Byrne notched two goals and four assists, with Tehoka Nanticoke, Kyle Buchanan and Ian MacKay collaborating on five goals and three assists. Ryan Benesch and Mitch de Snoo re-acquainted themselves to Buffalo, with each player adding a goal and an assist to their respective resumes. Matt Vinc barricaded 32 of 43 balls thrust his direction.
Shayne Jackson was stellar for Georgia, collecting four goals and two assists. Lyle Thompson was unusually quiet, laying claim to just one assist. Despite the loss, the Swarm were no doubt pleased by the performances of four representatives of their young nucleus: Kaleb Benedict garnered two goals and three assists, Michael Grace assisted on four goals and Nolan Byrne and Ben Trumble each scored one and helped on an additional.
San Diego at Ottawa Black Bears 11.29.25. Photo by Greg Mason/NLL
Tre Leclaire amassed one of the best individual performances of the opening weekend with a highly impressive five goals and three assists for the San Diego Seals in a 16-13 win over Ottawa. Corey Small opened his San Diego sojourn with a hat trick, alongside one helper. Dylan Watson stockpiled five total points. Seals’ icon, captain Wes Berg, competed in his typical manner, scoring one and assisting on four others. The Seals’ path to the road win was paced by their ability to obtain a loose ball, with San Diego winning that all-important category by a 79-57 margin. Zach Currier was accountable for 18 of those efforts (and two assists), while Trevor Baptiste grabbed 13 loose balls, coupled with winning a monstrous 29 of 33 faceoffs.
Former Seal Rob Hellyer had a tremendous game in defeat, taking it to his most recent place of employment with a three-goal, five-assist piece of retribution. Reilly O’Connor boasted six total points, while the great Jeff Teat was solid with two goals and two assists.
Colorado Mammoth @ Vancouver Warriors. Photo by Jaclyn McKee/NLL
Colorado connected on five straight goals in the third quarter to race to an 8-4 lead and the eventual 10-7 win over Vancouver to spoil the Warriors’ home opener. Will Malcom was the leading man of the weekend, collecting the season’s maiden sock trick and assisting twice for his teammates. Ryan Lee complemented Malcom’s play, distributing six assists of his own. Newcomer to town, Andrew Kew scored two goals and five assists in the Colorado upset storyline.
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Hometown boys Jesse King and Curtis Dickson coalesced on three goals and four assists, while Warriors cornerstones Keegan Bal and Adam Charalambides produced a mutual three scores and seven helpers (six assists via Bal) in what turned into a frustrating opening journey for a club with high expectations.
