Black Bears Return Home for Meeting with Vancouver
NLL Ottawa Black Bears

Black Bears Return Home for Meeting with Vancouver

Published on January 23, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Ottawa Black Bears News Release


"Bring it on, another test."

Those were Dan MacRae's words to the Ottawa Black Bears as they wrapped up a morning practice ahead of a Friday night matchup against the Vancouver Warriors at Canadian Tire Centre.

Coming off a thrilling 10-9 win over Buffalo last Friday, the Black Bears (4-3) now return home to face the Warriors (3-2) at 7:30 p.m. MacRae also emphasized that the Warriors are a better team than their record shows.

"Just onto the next one, Vancouver's a very similar team [to Buffalo], and right now we're just trying to stack wins and keep moving in the right direction," Connor Kearnan said of the team's mindset heading into the game. "That's our only goal right now."

MacRae also emphasized the Warriors strength in goal and on defence - they allowed the fewest goals in the NLL last season. Kearnan said that the team is ready for any type of game.

"I think we're prepared for anything, the D's cooking at the right time, offence, we're firing on all cylinders, and then Higgy's fantastic back there. Low scoring, high scoring, whatever it is, we'll be prepared for whatever is coming our way."

In Buffalo, the Black Bears scored four straight goals to open the fourth quarter and give them a lead they wouldn't relinquish. That pushed their fourth-quarter goal total to 37 this season through seven games. Last year, that number was just 39 through a full 18-game season.

"I think it's just the desire to win," said Kearnan. "It's a different team, a different feel this year. We know that we can compete with anyone on any given night, when push comes to shove, it's just finding a way to get things done."

THE GOODS

Watch: Tonight's game will appear on TSN 5 as part of NLL Friday Night on TSN. Tonight's game will also be available on TSN+, and ESPN+.

The Opponent: The Vancouver Warriors are 3-2 this season, but 2-0 on the road. The franchise appeared in the playoffs last spring for the first time since 2017, where they lost in the semifinals to the Bandits.

The Stat: The Black Bears defence already has scored 12 goals through seven games. Last season, that unit scored just 15 goals all season long. The leader of that group, Callum Jones, leads the NLL in caused turnovers (19) and ranks second in loose balls (69, behind Jake Withers and Justin Inacio) entering play in Week 8.

This year, the Black Bears will play four Friday home games and five Saturday home games from November to April.

Next up at home is a Friday meeting with Vancouver on Jan. 23 at Canadian Tire Centre.

Check out the Ottawa Black Bears Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



National Lacrosse League Stories from January 23, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central