October 31, 2021 – National Lacrosse League (NLL) – Halifax Thunderbirds News Release
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – After 601 days, the Thunderbirds played the first game of professional box lacrosse since March 8, 2020 with their Purple vs. Orange intrasquad game at Scotiabank Centre, with Team Purple evening the series with a 15-11 win on Saturday night.
Shorthanded goals dominated the contest, as five were netted by penalty kill units between both sides. Stephen Keogh led the scoring for Team Purple with four goals, followed by Chris Boushy and Stephan Leblanc – two of Boushy’s goals were shorthanded.
The first quarter started with goalies Warren Hill and Peter Dubenski in net for Teams Purple and Orange, respectively. Scoring the first goal of the game was Jake Withers with a transition shot into the top left corner of the goal. The two teams traded blows back and forth, with Team Purple taking the lead off back-to-back shorthand goals from Boushy.
In the second quarter, Owen Hill stretched Team Purple’s lead to two goals. More back and forth ensued, highlighted by Boushy’s hat trick goal, a twister from the left island, atypical territory for the right-hander. The buzzer sounded with Team Purple up 7-6 in the intrasquad contest.
Halftime saw Aaron Bold take over netminding duties for Team Orange, as Chase Martin replaced W. Hill between the pipes for Team Purple.
Clarke Petterson opened up the scoring in the second with a give-and-go shot. Brad Gillies retaliated with a shorty for Team Orange to close the gap back to one goal, but a second power play goal coupled with a Petterson shorty started giving Team Purple the separation they needed, now up 10-7.
Team Orange captain Cody Jamieson erased that separation late with back-to-back goals. His second goal was a heads-up play forcing an over-and-back at midfield and taking advantage of the empty net for Team Purple and referee’s whistle with his quick shot. The goalies swapped nets one last time, with Team Purple up 10-9.
Leblanc, Keogh, and Eric Fannell poured on the pressure in the final frame, with Leblanc and Keogh netting their hat trick goals in the quarter. An Austin Shanks power play goal cut the deficit to three goals, but Keogh’s fourth goal of the night with 34.3 seconds left ended up being the final dagger.
Team Purple captain Graeme Hossack, who handled face-off duties against Withers, scooped up the loose ball off the final draw, and Team Purple killed the clock for their first intrasquad win in Thunderbirds history, a 15-11 win.
The Thunderbirds will continue training camp. Their first regular season game will be on Dec. 4, 2021 against the Saskatchewan Rush. Face-off is set for 7:00 p.m. AT. Fans can secure season tickets to watch the return of championship-caliber professional lacrosse in Halifax by visiting HalifaxThunderbirds.com or by calling or texting 902-334-2333.
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