Black Bears Fall to Thunderbirds, Will Miss Playoffs
NLL Ottawa Black Bears

Black Bears Fall to Thunderbirds, Will Miss Playoffs

Published on April 19, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Ottawa Black Bears News Release


The Ottawa Black Bears were in Halifax on Saturday night with their first ever playoff berth on the line a chance to defeat the Thunderbirds for the first time in franchise history, but Warren Hill had other ideas.

Jeff Teat dished a slick behind-the-back pass to Sam Firth early in the first quarter, who beat Hill with a twister. From there, Ottawa and Halifax traded goals until the middle of the second quarter.

Larson Sundown scored on a crease dive and Teat potted two to tie the game at four, but then the Black Bears failed to score for a span of 26:16, allowing the Thunderbirds to take a commanding lead heading into the second half.

Neither team scored in the third quarter - Zach Higgins had a strong game in Ottawa's goal - but Ottawa managed just two more goals in the game, a third from Teat and a last-minute goal from Rob Hellyer when the game was well over.

The Black Bears were held under 10 goals for the fifth game in a row - all losses - and saw their season end, with the Thunderbirds claiming the NLL's final playoff spot.

Ottawa finished with an 8-10 record, identical to last season. While they heated up in February and March, winning a franchise-record four straight games, they finished with similar stats to their previous seasons, and a goal differential of -18.

Teat finished with 115 points, four more than the year before, reaching 600 career points in the loss. He scored a career-high 10 power play goals on the season, and also recorded a career-high 257 shots on goal and 119 loose balls, while turning the ball over the fewest times since his rookie year.

Offseason trade addition Rob Hellyer potted 32 goals and 99 points, the highest totals since 2019-20 and 2015-16, respectively. He proved an effective ball-handler and markedly improved the power play.

On defence, multiple players had career seasons or turned back the clock in a system that prioritized them getting up the floor. Kevin Brownell led the way with five goals and seven assists, more in line with his career averages after failing to score last season.

Callum Jones recorded a career-high three goals, eight assists, 173 loose balls, 32 caused turnovers, and will be a leading candidate for the league's Defensive Player of the Year award when the winner is announced in May.

Sophomore Jake Stevens continued where he left off at the end of his rookie season, scoring five goals and adding five assists. Nicholas Volkov set new career highs by appearing in all 18 games, recording two goals and three assists.

In goal, Higgins had remarkably similar stats to last season, coming alive down the stretch despite the losing streak. He played seven more minutes than last season and allowed the same number of goals (194), for a 10.86 goals-against average. He finished with a .776 save percentage.

The Black Bears organization would like to thank our passionate fans for their support all season.

Check out the Ottawa Black Bears Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from April 19, 2026


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