Seals Advance to the NLL Semifinals in a Dramatic Overtime Win
NLL San Diego Seals

Seals Advance to the NLL Semifinals in a Dramatic Overtime Win

Published on April 27, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
San Diego Seals News Release


It was none other than the Seals leading scorer, Tre Leclaire, who sent the San Diego Seals into the semifinals of the National Lacrosse League playoffs with an improbable game-winning goal 59 seconds into overtime Saturday night that propelled the Seals to a 13-12 upset win on the road against the Colorado Mammoth.

Leclaire's game winning goal gave the Seals their first lead since 12:32 remained in the second quarter and it came off a perfect pass from Wes Berg, who himself tallied three goals and four assists for a team high tying seven points on the night. And it was Berg, the Seals team captain and team leader who put the team on his shoulders when they needed it most.

For most of the early going, the game was a back-and-forth affair and after two periods, Colorado led by a goal, 6-5. The first half featured a San Diego aerial assault as Zach Currier, Ben McIntosh, and Dylan Watson all scored while soaring through the crease. But it was defenseman Eli Gobrecht who scored perhaps the biggest goal of the half when he scored with just three seconds remaining in and just six seconds after Colorado's Alex Kew scored his third of the night to put Colorado up 6-4. Gobrecht's goal was made possible by Trevor Baptiste winning the faceoff and finding the Seals defenseman.

As the game moved into the third quarter, things started to look bleak for the Seals. The Mammoth came out of the locker room at halftime firing on all cylinders. They scored two goals in the opening 4:01 and outscored the Seals 5-2 over the first 12:29 of the second half and Will Malcom's power play goal at the 2:41 mark of the third gave the Mammoth a four-goal lead, 11-7.

That's precisely the moment when Berg put on his Superman cape and led the Seals to one of, if not the biggest wins in franchise history.

It started when Berg found a driving Dylan Watson who scored with 1:46 left in the third. Then just seconds later after Baptiste, who won an absolutely amazing 26 of 29 (90%) faceoffs on the night, won another and the ball found the Seals team captain who scored to get the visitors back within two at 11-9.

That's where the score remained as neither team was able to find the back of the net during the first half of the fourth period while Chris Origlieri formed a brick wall in front of the Seals net on a night when he stopped 33 of Colorado's 45 shots. Finally, with 7:14 left in the fourth, it was Leclaire who broke the stalemate, scoring off a pass from Connor Robinson to get the Seals back to within a goal at 11-10. Then less than two minutes later, it was Berg striking again, finding Watson yet again for the game-tying goal with 5:33 left in regulation. But Berg wasn't done as just 53 seconds following he gave the Seals their first lead since the early part of the second quarter when he fired an absolute missile from just inside the restraining line that got by Mammoth goaltender Dillon Ward and gave the Seals their first lead since the second quarter with just 4:40 remaining in the contest.

That lead would last for just 45 seconds however as the Mammoth would finally get one by Origlieri when Colorado's McIntosh, Dylan McIntosh, bounced one between Orgilieri's legs and once again the game was tied, 12-12, with 3:55 left in the fourth.

The next 3:55 had the capacity crowd at Ball Arena on the edge of their seats as both teams had multiple opportunities to score. Neither the Seals nor the Mammoth however could sneak one by either goaltender and the game went to sudden death overtime with the teams still knotted up at 12 apiece setting up Leclaire's overtime heroics.

No surprise, Baptiste won his 26th faceoff of the night to start the extra session. Ward came up big for the home side with gigantic saves on a pair of shots by Currier, one from distance and the second from close range after Currier rebounded his own shot, but again it was the Seals captain with a headsy play as Berg scooped up the miss along the boards giving the Seals an extra possession. With that extra possession Berg got the ball to Leclaire who worked his way to the top of the crease where he got off a shot with Ward making yet another big save but the ball got loose yet again and this time on the opposite boards Berg scooped it up with no defenders around and found Leclaire right in front of the Mammoth net where he put the game winner beneath Ward's legs, sending the Seals into an absolute frenzy and onto the NLL semifinals for their first-ever postseason meeting against the Toronto Rock.

The Seals will now open the NLL semifinals this coming Friday night (May 1) at 4:30 p.m. PT at the TD Coliseum in Toronto with Game 2 set for this Sunday (May 3) at 3 p.m. If necessary, Game 3 will take place a week from Saturday (May 9), back at the TD Coliseum with a 4 p.m. PT faceoff.

Of note from Saturday night's game in Colorado, Currier scored three goals to go along with four assists as he matched Berg's team-high tying seven point night. Currier's been on an absolute tear as he's now scored 10 goals and recorded 11 assists in the Seals' last three games. And Watson scored three times to register a hat trick for the Seals.

Check out the San Diego Seals Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from April 27, 2026


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