Black Bears Return Home for Rematch with FireWolves
NLL Ottawa Black Bears

Black Bears Return Home for Rematch with FireWolves

Published on February 28, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Ottawa Black Bears News Release


The Black Bears will return to action after a bye week on Saturday night when their provincial rivals, the Oshawa FireWolves, visit Canadian Tire Centre.

The FireWolves have struggled to pick up wins during their inaugural season north of the border - they relocated from Albany in the summer - and sport a 2-9 record heading into the contest.

Meanwhile, the Black Bears have knocked off two straight opponents and enter the game with a 6-5 record and sit tied for sixth in the NLL standings entering play on Saturday.

"I think the key thing that we have is consistency, and that's stringing together wins no matter who we play, no matter what their record is," said defenceman Matt Marinier after morning shootaround. "Every team in this league is good and it's just a matter of putting together a full 60-minute effort."

Marinier was injured during training camp and missed the team's first four games of the season. He returned in Oshawa on Jan. 3, when the Black Bears outlasted the FireWolves for a 16-14 victory.

"Their offence is pretty young, and pretty dynamic. They have guys with size now, and guys with speed, and guys that can put the ball in the net," he said. "It's just a matter of taming those 1-2 guys, letting the looks come from where we want them to be, and personally playing a little better than that first time, feet are now under me."

The Black Bears got in two full practices this week - including a two-hour session Friday night at Canadian Tire Center - and an hour-long morning shootaround. "We got back on Wednesday and it was full tilt," said Marinier.

The 6-foot-6 defenceman picked up his first goal of the season during their last home game, an 11-9 win over Calgary. It came on an empty net with just four seconds left to play, assisted on by Kevin Brownell. It was a perfect example of the 'everybody eats' culture the Black Bears are building.

"I think it's just, anybody can kind of do any job on this team, irrespective of their position. I don't get that ball too often to get that empty netter, so it was nice of him to give me that. But you know, I wouldn't mind him taking that shot," he laughed.

Saturday's game will also spell their last home game for a month, as they play three straight games out west in the first three weeks of March.

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 FireWolves have lost five straight games heading into Saturday's match. Their 1-2 punch of Alex Simmons and Tye Kurtz (Black Bears' transition Reed Kurtz's brother) have combined for 50 of their 102 goals.

The Stat: Jeff Teat leads the league in points (78) entering play in Week 14. He also leads all forwards in loose balls (82, which is tenth among all positions).

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 Saturday meeting with Oshawa on Feb. 28 at Canadian Tire Centre.

Check out the Ottawa Black Bears Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from February 28, 2026


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