FRIDAY, JANUARY 30
2026 Battle of the Prairies Round 2 on NLL Friday Night on TSN
This Friday Night on TSN, the NLL brings fans an action-packed weekend of midseason catch-ups, rematches, and longtime rivalries. Kicking your Friday off, the Saskatchewan Rush are headed to the Saddledome for the long-awaited second round of the 2025-26 Battle of the Prairies.
The Roughnecks and the Rush last locked horns all the way back in Week 2, resulting in a 16-13 opening weekend win for Saskatchewan and the first of what would be a three-game losing streak for Calgary. Since their early-season meeting, the gap in the rankings between the squads has only grown larger. The Rush currently sit atop the League leaderboard as the first team to six wins, while the Roughnecks remain at the bottom of the pile as one of two teams with only one win. Now, with a bye-week under both teams’ belts, the embers are burning, and the Saddledome is heating up.
The Rush are sitting pretty heading into this weekend’s rivalry bout, having hammered in their sixth win against their Ontarian neighbors, the Oshawa FireWolves, in Week 8. In their 15-10 victory, Saskatchewan outshot and outran the FireWolves, putting 54 shots on goal against Oshawa’s 44, and picking up 73 loose balls to Oshawa’s 54. Additionally, sophomore faceoff specialist Jake Naso brought up 22 of his 29 faceoffs, his 102nd win after returning to the Active Roster from the Injured Reserve in Week 3.
Their 1-5 Calgary hosts, though, have seen less impressive success, despite several notable individual player performances. During their Edmonton stayover against the Georgia Swarm in Week 8, Justin Inacio was responsible for 17 of the Roughnecks 75 loose ball pickups, with Tanner Cook leading his Roughnecks in shots and goals (3G, 11SOG). However, despite individual achievements, Calgary’s defensive presence has yet to be truly felt this season, having let up 11 goals by the end of the first half, as well as spending a grand total of 30-minutes in the penalty box against Georgia.
But as long-time and short-time fans know, a rivalry game can change everything. The Roughnecks are down a game in the rivalry series and need a win to maintain the tie set during last season’s Prairie-side showdowns. An upset this weekend, regardless of the score gap, could be what Calgary needs to bring itself back into the fray during the second half of the season.
NLL Friday Night on TSN kicks off at 9:00PM ET. Streaming is also available on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+.
Philly vs San Diego Round 2 at Pechanga Arena!
Our place next time? The San Diego Seals are back on the not-so-snowy West Coast for round two of their two-weekend stint against the Philadelphia Wings. Hosting the Wings for Heroes Night, honoring active military, veterans, and first responders, the Seals look to take home a third straight win with a two-game series in their back pocket.
The Seals and the Wings suited up at XFinity Mobile Arena last weekend for round one, giving fans a tight scoreboard race through to the fourth quarter. Though San Diego’s Trevor Baptiste maintained his thus far season-long run of dominance at the dot against Nick Rowlett, Wings goaltender Nick Damude and his defense kept the Seals to a single-goal half. The Philadelphia offense pulled out a significant chunk of change early in the game to tide them over into the second half, as forwards Joe Resetarits and Michael Sowers’ four combined goals expanded their lead early in the third.
But as the second half got underway, San Diego forwards Ben McIntosh and Connor Robinson seemed to finally get hot, leading the scoring with support from Dylan Watson and captain Wes Berg’s individual four-point efforts. The Seas cut the Wings’ lead to one score by the start of the fourth quarter, and while holding the Wings to a single goal scored, pulled out ahead to secure the win, 9-7.
With two offensively stacked teams lining up for the second time, the physicality is only going to get tougher. Heading into this weekend’s roundup, each team’s defensive presence is going to be all the more important, with Philly needing to slow down San Diego’s quick transition and cut off the inside passing lanes, while the Seals need to keep a better lock on the Wings’ outside shot selection and keep Sowers and Brennan O’Neill’s hands locked down.
The Wings and the Seals settle the score on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+ this Friday at 10:30PM ET.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31
Georgia Swarm Midseason Canadian Tour, Stop 3: ScotiaBank Centre!
For the third and final stop of their three-legged Canadian Tour, the Georgia Swarm are settling into Halifax for a good ol’ fashioned Nova Scotian hoedown! It’s Country Night at the ScotiaBank Centre, and the Halifax Thunderbirds are giddy with excitement to rejoin the regular weekend schedule.
After five straight weekends of competition, with three spent on the road, the Thunderbirds spent Week 9 at home recuperating after an unexpected home loss to the Colorado Mammoth. Clarke Petterson and Cody Jamieson’s five combined goals and the Thunderbirds’ defense holding Colorado to a single goal in the third quarter were big momentum moments; an uncharacteristically poor first quarter performance by goaltender Warren Hill put Halifax at a deficit they couldn’t quite recover from. But with the letdown now two weeks behind them, the Thunderbirds are hungry for the opportunity to put another win on the board.
On the visitors’ bench, the Swarm are hot on a two-win streak for the first time this season, and have no intention to give it up. In Week 9, the Swarm flew out to Ontario to take on the Toronto Rock, taking the competition all the way to extra minutes. While Lyle Thompson was the star of the show, picking up three points and the game-winning goal just 30 seconds into overtime, the Swarm put out a complete team effort to scrape out the victory. Backed by a 48-save performance from Brett Dobson, Georgia defenders Jacob Hickey and Michael Grace’s 18 loose balls and two caused turnovers pulled the Swarm back into the conversation after falling behind four goals before the second half. Hickey’s two unassisted transition goals in the first half lit the fire for the Swarm’s young and old guard to pick up the slack, ending in a three-assist night for rookie forward Kean Moon, four assists for Bryan Cole, and four points for Shayne Jackson (2G, 2A).
With the Swarm’s transition game firing on all cylinders, the Thunderbirds will need to cut off their thruway early on and find any and all opportunities to take control of the loose ball battle. Additionally, this will also be Halifax’s first outing since trading Dawson Theede to Oshawa in Week 9. Regardless of the final score, both of these teams need another win to kick their midseason push in the right direction.
Catch the Thunderbirds vs the Swarm this Saturday on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+. Faceoff begins at 6:00PM ET.
Road-Tested Warriors Visit Rochester in Key Early-Season Test
It’s a proud night at Blue Cross Arena, as the Knighthawks are set to host the visiting Vancouver Warriors for Military Night. Knighthawks and Warriors fans alike are invited to join the organization in honoring active duty military, veterans, and first responders with what they hope to be a win.
The Knighthawks currently hold the monopoly over the coveted third seed due to goal differential, but they’re still tied for wins and losses with the 4-2 Warriors. Even though Vancouver boasts an especially intimidating home presence, hailing their home arena as “one of the toughest buildings to play in,” the Warriors are 3-0 for road games. In their most recent win, an away game against the Ottawa Black Bears in Week 9, the Warriors pulled off the start line hard and fast, establishing an early lead in the Canadian Capital that only grew larger as the minutes passed. By the end of the first half, Vancouver has accrued and maintained a four-goal lead thanks to individual two-goal performances by Curtis Dickson, Shane Simpson, and Jessie King. Additionally, a Keegan Bal hat trick and goaltender Christian Del Bianco’s 100th career point sealed the deal for the Warriors’ fourth win.
Rochester, on the other hand, has seen largely the same success at home and away. The Knighthawks are currently 2-1 at home and away, with their most recent home loss popping up in Week 8 against the Toronto Rock. Though trailing by a single goal at the end of regulation, the Knighthawks kept at least a two-goal lead heading into the final bracket, thanks to respective four, five and six-point performances by Thomas McConvey, Ryan Lanchubry, and Connor Fields. Additionally, a 64% effort (16/25 FOW) by faceoff specialist Jeremy Thompson kept the Knighthawks in control of the game’s momentum through to the final buzzer.
This weekend presents both squads with a chance to finally break away from each other after several weeks of neck-and-neck competition on the League leaderboards. While neither of them are in immediate danger of plummeting down the rankings, a misplaced loss or unexpected win in other coinciding matchups could set Rochester and Vancouver for later trials.
Catch all the action in Blue Cross Arena this Saturday at 7:00PM ET on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+.
Battle of Ontario Takes Center Stage at TD Coliseum
It’s Saturday night at the TD Coliseum and the energy’s never been higher. This weekend’s lineup between the Ottawa Black Bears and the Toronto Rock marks the first of two deciding games in the Battle of Ontario, a three-way race for regional dominance between Oshawa, Ottawa, and Toronto.
The Rock has exploded back onto the scene over the last several weeks, pulling themselves back out of the pile with a string of much-needed wins. Their 3-3 record has landed square within the tie plaguing the leaderboard’s middle pack, and though their win streak has come to a brief halt following their overtime home loss to Georgia in Week 9, the Rock are far from out of the conversation. The young Toronto offense has proved they can succeed against the best of the best, as evidenced by the individual three-goal efforts from CJ Kirst and Owen Hiltz, with captain Challen Rogers’ four assists bridging the young offense and the veteran defense. Where Toronto’s hangups arise, however, is between the pipes. Though Troy Hollowchuck’s 39 saves were nothing to scoff at, the Rock defense still seems to be settling in with him in net, allowing the Swarm to chip a three-goal deficit into the opportunity for extra minutes.
The 4-4 Black Bears are also in an interesting position on the leaderboard, sitting somewhat comfortably in the sixth seat after last weekend’s loss to Vancouver. Ottawa gave up a substantial lead early in the competition, and despite a herculean defensive push in the second half, holding the Warriors to two scores, the Black Bears were unable to close the four-goal gap on the scoreboard. Jeff Teat and Connor Kearnan led the Black Bears in goals against Vancouver, notching three and two goals respectively, but a more complete team offensive push like fans have seen in previous weeks will be necessary to wipe out last weekend’s loss.
The Black Bears currently lead the regional race 1-0 with their 16-14 win over Oshawa in Week 6, while the Rock trails behind 0-1 after falling to the FireWolves in Week 1. The Rock needs a win this weekend to not only tie the race for the region at 1-1 across the board, but to also break through the top half of the League rankings with what could be their fourth win.
Tune into ESPN+, NLL+, and TSN+ this Saturday at 7:00 PM ET for all the Ontario action!
Buffalo looks to get back on track with Saturday night run-in against Colorado
The Buffalo Bandits are back off their Week 9 bye week, and with a chip on their shoulder after a recent string of disappointments. Following their 12-9 loss to Rochester during the Thruway Rivalry match in Week 7, the Bandits returned to KeyBank Center for Week 8’s lineup with the Black Bears.
While many were quick to count out Ottawa, the Black Bears held the reigning champs within a goal through to the fourth quarter. But an untimely Checking From Behind penalty by Buffalo’s Nick Weiss in the fourth quarter opened up the floodgates for the Black Bears to find a three-goal lead that the Bandits couldn’t quite close. Weiss’ late-game penalty echoed forward Tehoka Nanticoke’s fourth quarter Delay of Game penalty in Rochester, resulting in a Knighthawks Power Play goal that only widened the gap on the scoreboard to four goals.
The Bandits’ apparent crack in defensive discipline could shape up to be their Achilles heel against the home bench. In their last four consecutive wins, the Mammoth drew 38-minutes worth of man-up play, resulting in nine Power Play goals. Additionally, in the 23 penalties the Mammoth accrued in their last four games, they only let up 10 goals, while still outscoring their opponents by at least two goals. The Mammoth’s offensive confidence also comes backed by Matthew Paolatto at the faceoff dot, pulling out 22 of his 30 faceoffs taken against Oshawa in Week 9, and Dillon Ward in net, stopping 49 shots in Week 9 and climbing to third in the League for saves (291 SV, 83% SV%).
As one of the four 3-3 teams keeping pace in the middle of the League rankings, the Bandits need a win this weekend to break away from the pack and potentially pull the Mammoth from the podium. To make it out of Ball Arena with a victory, Buffalo needs consistency on the defensive end and to stay disciplined in the later minutes to avoid fourth-quarter Power Play goals.
The Bandits take the stage against the Colorado Mammoth this Saturday on ESPN+, NLL+, and TSN+. The lights go up at 9:00 PM ET.
Las Vegas takes on Oshawa for Wayne’s Tailgate
To close out a full weekend of NLL action, we’re back in bright, shiny Las Vegas! But it’s not just any old home game– the Desert Dogs invite lacrosse fans, hockey fans, and sports fans of all kinds for Wayne’s Tailgate, celebrating the part-owner of the Desert Dogs franchise and The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky. As part of the festivities, Las Vegas will be giving away Gretzky “City Edition” jerseys to the first 4,000 fans, regardless of Oshawa affiliation.
Hot off a post-win bye week, Las Vegas is in peak condition to host the visiting FireWolves; they’re more motivated for a win than ever. In Week 8’s home scuffle with the Philadelphia Wings, the Desert Dogs pulled out a much-needed 10-7 win to maintain their .500 record thanks to several three-point performances across the offense. Las Vegas captain Connor Kirst led the charge in transition with seven loose-ball pickups, two caused turnovers, and four points of his own (2G, 2A), leaving sophomore forward Adam Poitras to lead the scoring for the evening with his three put-backs.
On the visitors’ bench, the Oshawa FireWolves may be starting to feel the heat. After spending their Saturday in Denver during Week 9, Oshawa is now staring down the barrel of an uphill battle during the second half of this season. The FireWolves spent the first half at Ball Arena trading goals with the Mammoth, showcasing a tight transition game and a new fire underneath goaltender Doug Jamieson. Oshawa finished the first half down by a single goal, but a three-goal run early in the third proved too great a deficit to come back from.
Week 9’s loss to the Colorado Mammoth has cemented the FireWolves as the first team to six losses this season. However, a string of well-placed and hard-earned wins over the next few weeks could revitalize Oshawa’s bid for postseason consideration.
Finish your Saturday night the right way on ESPN+, NLL+, and TSN+ as Oshawa takes on the Desert Dogs at 10:00 PM ET
Previously published by the NLL.
Rob Lucchesi 
Leave a comment