Black Bears Look to Bounce Back against Vancouver
NLL Ottawa Black Bears

Black Bears Look to Bounce Back against Vancouver

Published on March 20, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Ottawa Black Bears News Release


After an unsuccessful stop in Calgary, the Black Bears look to complete their West Coast swing with a win in Vancouver.

Coming into the game, Vancouver sits in second place, while the Black Bears trail by two wins, sitting in sixth. Last time these two met, Vancouver came out on top with a 12-8 win in Ottawa.

Rob Hellyer led the team with six assists last weekend against the Roughnecks. Hellyer has been a key addition to the squad this season, taking some of the load of Jeff Teat, who had two goals and four assists in the loss. Heading into Vancouver the dynamic duo is sitting at two and five on the leaderboard for the top pointscorers this season across the NLL.

Defensively, Callum Jones leads the league in caused turnovers (29) and is third in loose balls (136) heading into the matchup against the Warriors. His third year in the league has been Jones' best season to date, anchoring down the Black Bears defence in just his third season of play.

In goal, Zach Higgins is third for most saves and second for most time played in the NLL. The Tendy Bear is trending upwards after a massive game against the Colorado Mammoth on March 7. Higgins allowed five goals in the first half before closing the door in the fourth quarter and shutting out the Mammoth for the remainder of the game.

On the offensive side of the ball, the power play has been phenomenal the whole year. Last game was no exception, scoring on both power play opportunities. The Black Bears look to keep that momentum heading into Friday's game against Vancouver.

THE GOODS

Watch: You can watch every regular season NLL game on NLL+ free of charge (excluding NLL Friday Night on TSN). Tonight's game will also be available on TSN+, and ESPN+.

The Opponent: The Black Bears defence will look to shut down Keegan Ball as he leads the NLL in assists and points coming into this game, with 66 assists and 99 points.

The Stat: If the Black Bears win Friday they will set a new franchise record for wins in a single season, with nine.

The Black Bears' next home game is our Marvel Theme Night against the Georgia Swarm on March 28 at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Check out the Ottawa Black Bears Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from March 20, 2026


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