The Desert Dogs (3-8) and the third-place Halifax Thunderbirds (6-4) battle inside Lee’s Family Forum on the PENTA Field this Saturday, March 1, at 7 p.m. PST. Every game from now until the end of the season will be a must-win as the Pack fights for a playoff spot.
The Thunderbirds and the Desert Dogs have only faced off once all-time, with Halifax winning 12-10 on Feb. 9, 2024. Las Vegas mounted a late comeback attempt in that game, but it wasn’t to get the win.
LAST GAME NOTES:
Week 14 was the Desert Dogs’ best defensive performance of the season, as they secured a 14-7 win over the Colorado Mammoth. Goalie Landon Kells became just the eighth goalie this year to hold an opponent to seven goals or fewer. He also shut the door on the Mammoth, going over 25 minutes without allowing a goal.
The offense was howling as well, fueled by a seven-goal scoring streak that shifted the momentum. Adam Poitras (3G, 1A) recorded his first career hat trick in the victory. Jonathan Donville (2G, 6A) led the team with eight points, while Jack Hannah (2G, 5A) continued his strong play, reaching the 200-career point milestone and hitting 60 points on the season.
This was the best game for the Desert Dogs all year.
OPPOSITION UPDATE:
The Halifax Thunderbirds are undeniably one of the hottest teams in the NLL right now, riding a four-game winning streak. Over that stretch, they have outscored their opponents by a combined 13 goals. Halifax excels at forcing turnovers, with 81 caused turnovers this season, and they maintain possession well, boasting a 53% faceoff win percentage.
In their last game on Feb. 21, the Thunderbirds defeated the Ottawa Black Bears 14-9. However, they nearly let the game slip away, allowing Ottawa to go on a six-goal scoring run and briefly take the lead in the third quarter. Halifax regrouped and pulled away again in the fourth to secure the win.
Offensively, the Thunderbirds rely on a balanced attack led by forwards Randy Staats (17G, 43A, 63 Pts), Clarke Petterson (17G, 32A, 49 Pts), and Thomas Hoggarth (17G, 17A, 34 Pts). Rather than depending on a single scoring star, they spread the wealth and play a full-team game for the full 60 minutes.
The Thunderbirds are second in the league for penalty minutes. This will be a key to victory for the Desert Dogs as they need to be able to score on the man advantage to take the win against this tough opponent.
MILESTONES:
Jack Hannah needs 11 goals to hit 100 career NLL goals.
LVDD POINT LEADERS:
#33 Jack Hannah: 60 points (27G, 33A)
#3 Jonathan Donville: 50 points (27G, 33A)
#21 Casey Jackson: 35 points (19G, 16A)
#67 Kyle Killen: 28 points (12G, 16A)
#19 Adam Poitras: 27 points (11G, 14A)
The Desert Dogs will return home for Hero’s Night on March 1 at 7 p.m. PST against the Halifax Thunderbirds. First 3500 fans will receive a Desert Dogs themed Dog Tags! Buy tickets HERE
