
Seals Set to Host Rival Desert Dogs in Sunday Afternoon Matinee at Pechanga Arena
Published on March 11, 2025 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
San Diego Seals News Release
The resurgent San Diego Seals, 6-6 and winners of three of their last four, will return to the turf at Pechanga Arena for an afternoon matinee this Sunday (March 16) against their rivals from Sin City, the Las Vegas Desert Dogs (3-10). It'll be Native American Heritage Day at Pechanga Arena with faceoff set for 1:30 p.m. PT.
As part of Native American Heritage Day, the team will host a pregame tailgate party starting at 11:30 a.m. featuring food, music and kid-friendly games, and the first 2,000 fans to come through the turnstiles will receive a commemorative Seals-Native American Heritage Hat.
Tickets start at just $15 and are available at https://sealslax.com/.
The Seals come into Sunday afternoon's game with momentum after a big 13-11 win over Vancouver last Friday night at Pechanga Arena. Team Captain Wes Berg's go-ahead and team-leading fourth goal of the night with just 1:20 left in the fourth quarter ended a 17:23 scoreless drought for the Seals and propelled the team to the win. Forward Rob Hellyer recorded a season-high seven assists while netminder Chris Origlieri held the Warriors scoreless over the final 9:52 as part of a 45-save night. That final stretch followed an earlier one of 24:33 from the middle of the second quarter until early fourth in which "Rigsy" also kept the Warriors out of the Seals' net.
At 3-10, the Desert Dogs come into Sunday's contest last in the NLL standings but it's an important game for the Seals as one of those three wins came at San Diego's expense, a 12-10 win over the Seals on Jan. 18 at the Lee's Family Forum. At 6-6, the Seals currently sit in eighth place in the National Lacrosse League standings with just six games remaining and only the top eight teams qualify for the NLL playoffs. Since Las Vegas' Jan. 18 win over the Seals, the Desert Dogs are just 1-5 and have lost two straight, including a 21-13 home loss to Rochester last Friday night.
While the Desert Dogs have struggled in the win-loss column, several of their players have put together strong seasons on offense. Forward Jack Hannah leads the team with 28 goals and 65 points (37 assists) while Jonathan Donville leads the team with 42 assists and ranks second on the squad with 57 points (15 goals). Fellow forward Casey Jackson's 21 goals are second-most on the team and he's third with 42 total points (21 assists). Transition man Connor Kirst leads Las Vegas with 87 loose balls secured and 19 caused turnovers, while fellow transition players Brandon Goodwin and Jonathan Gagliardi are tied for the team lead with 10 blocked shots apiece.
Seals-Desert Dogs Head-to-Head: The Seals hold a 4-2 all-time series edge over the Desert Dogs and are 2-0 in games played at Pechanga Arena.
Broadcast Information: For those unable to make it to Pechanga Arena on Sunday afternoon, the Seals-Desert Dogs game will be broadcast on national cable television on ESPNU.
Follow the Seals on Social Media: For the latest info on the Seals, visit https://www.sealslax.com/ and follow the team on social media at @SealsLax on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Welcome to Pechanga Arena - aka The Electric Factory
Pechanga Arena, aka "The Electric Factory," has become one of the toughest arenas to play in for opposing teams in the National Lacrosse League. Despite being just 4-3 at home this season, the Seals have won seven of their last 10 regular-season home games and since the start of the 2022-23 season, San Diego is 19-6 in regular-season games at Pechanga.
Recent Roster Moves
On Monday, the Seals made a couple of trades ahead of the NLL's trade deadline, including one with the Buffalo Bandits to secure the services of forward and Poway native Marquez White.
A 2020 graduate of Poway High School, the Seals dealt a 2026 second-round pick and a 2028 conditional second-round pick to the Bandits in exchange for White. The team also traded defenseman Justin Sykes and a 2026 second-round pick to Las Vegas in exchange for defenseman James Barclay.
White was drafted by Buffalo ahead of the 2024-25 season but did not appear in any games this season for the Bandits as he's been recovering from an ACL injury. Prior to, White played three seasons at Princeton where he appeared in 45 games and earned first-team All-Ivy League and USILA All-America selections as a senior. White helped lead the Tigers to Ivy League Tournament championships in 2023 and '24.
In addition to playing collegiately at Princeton, White also played for the San Diego Royals, the Seals' entry in the National Collegiate Box Series (NCBS) that captured three straight championships from 2021-23. In the aforementioned 2023 title game that the Royals won 8-6, White scored a third-quarter go-ahead goal to put his team up 6-5 and at the end of the contest with just 14 seconds left, he blocked a potential game-tying shot before scoring an empty net goal with 1.8 seconds remaining to clinch the victory for the Royals.
Barclay meanwhile played 13 games for the Desert Dogs this season, tallying one goal and three assists while scooping up 64 loose balls, forcing 12 turnovers and blocking six shots. Currently in his fifth NLL season, the 29-year-old Barclay previously played for Rochester (2019), Halifax (2020, 2022) and the Desert Dogs (2023-present). His career totals include 64 games played, four goals, 15 assists, 302 loose balls secured and 37 blocked shots.
Last week, the Seals also traded forward Kyle Jackson to Albany for the FireWolves' fourth-round pick in the 2025 NLL Draft and their second-round pick in 2026.
Milestones on the Horizon - (Playoffs and Regular Season Included)
- Ryan Benesch (765 career assists) needs 14 more to pass John Grant Jr. (778) for 7th all-time.
- Benesch (1,337 career points) needs 21 more to pass Josh Sanderson (1,357) for 6th all-time.
- Benesch (1,380 career loose ball recoveries) needs 20 more to reach 1,400 for his career.
- Wes Berg (261 career goals) needs 39 more to reach 300 for his career.
- Berg (382 career assists) needs 18 more to reach 400 for his career.
- Jesse Gamble (99 career points) needs just 1 more to reach 100 for his career.
- Rob Hellyer (294 career goals) needs just 6 more to reach 300 for his career
- Cam Holding (1,175 career loose ball recoveries) needs 25 more to reach 1,200 for his career.
- Holding (92 career assists) needs 8 more to reach 100 for his career.
- Ben McIntosh (297 career assists) needs just 3 more to reach 300 for his career.
- Kyle Rubisch (97 career points) needs 3 to reach 100 for his NLL career.
- Trevor Baptiste (1,545 career faceoff wins) needs 32 more to pass Bob Snider (1,576) for 9th all-time.
Season Stats Leaders
- Wes Berg leads the team and is tied for sixth in the NLL with 29 goals. His 52 total points rank second on the team while his 23 assists are tied for second (Ben McIntosh).
- Rob Hellyer leads the Seals with 36 assists and 57 points while his 21 goals are second. He had a season-high nine points (2 goals and 7 assists) in the Seals' win over Vancouver last Friday night.
- Hellyer has 10 goals and 19 assists in the Seals' last six games, while Berg has 15 goals and 8 assists in the last four.
- Ryan Benesch is third on the team in goals (19) and points (39).
- Zach Currier is sixth the NLL with 122 loose balls secured and he's tied for fifth with 21 caused turnovers. Both totals lead the team. Currier also paces the Seals with 9 blocked shots on the season.
- Eli Gobrecht is second on the team and 10th in the NLL with 18 caused turnovers.
Seals Head Coach and General Manager Patrick Merrill
Seals Head Coach and General Manager Patrick Merrill owns a career regular-season won-loss ledger of 59-37 (.615) since joining the Seals in 2018. He has guided the Seals to the playoffs in each of the four full seasons he's been at the helm.
Honors and Awards
Seals goaltender Chris Origlieri was recently named as a 2024 Star of the Year by the San Diego Sports Association. Origlieri, who finished the 2023-24 season with the National Lacrosse League's second-lowest goals against average (9.79) among starting netminders was honored at the 77th Annual Salute to the Champions Dinner in San Diego on Jan. 13.
A Closer Look at the Seals New Additions
- Now in his 12th NLL season, Rob Hellyer joined the Seals during free agency and he leads the team this season with 57 points on 21 goals and a team-leading 36 assists. Hellyer's impressive regular-season resume includes 272 career goals and 481 assists for 753 career points. He's also secured 691 loose balls while playing in 153 career regular-season games. Hellyer also brings valuable playoff experience to San Diego as well having suited up in 14 career postseason games where he's scored 18 goals and chalked up 39 assists for 57 additional points. The 30th overall pick in the 2010 NLL Draft by the Toronto Rock, Hellyer spent the 2023-24 season in Las Vegas after spending his first 10 NLL seasons in Toronto.
- Ben McIntosh: McIntosh, the number one overall pick by Edmonton in the 2014 NLL Draft, joined the Seals as well via free agency after spending the last two seasons playing for Philadelphia. McIntosh brings a wealth of offensive prowess to the Seals as he's scored 296 career regular-season goals and racked up 257 assists (553 career points), while scooping up 575 loose balls in just his ninth NLL regular season (145 career games). McIntosh's playoff ledger is just as impressive as in 19 career postseason games, he's scored 35 goals and recorded 31 assists (66 points) to go along with 72 loose balls secured. Originally drafted by Edmonton, McIntosh's first eight NLL seasons were spent in Edmonton (2015), Saskatchewan (2016-20) and Philadelphia (2022-24).
- Zach Currier: Currier joined the Seals as part of a blockbuster trade with Calgary in July and this season, he ranks sixth the NLL with 122 loose balls secured and he's tied for fifth with 21 caused turnovers. Currier scooped up a season-high 14 loose balls in the Seals win over Buffalo on Feb. 15 that ended the Bandits' 16-game winning streak. The third overall pick in the 2017 NLL Draft, Currier won a championship with Calgary in 2019. He's a two-time NLL Transition Player of the Year as well as a two-time All-NLL first-team and second-team selection. Including playoffs, Currier has played in 122 career games, scoring 59 career goals while registering 94 career assists (153 career points). He's also scooped up 1,278 loose balls during his career and in 2022, he set the NLL single-season mark with 62 caused turnovers.
- One of the Seals' early offseason acquisitions, Ryan Benesch had pondered retirement before signing a one-year deal with the Seals and he wasted no time making a big impression on his new team with a nine-point night in his first game as a Seal with five goals and four assists. He scored four more in the Seals' game against Georgia on Dec. 21 and three against Las Vegas on Jan. 18 and Vancouver on March 7. The 19-year NLL veteran is a two-time All-Pro and one of the most prolific scorers in League history. He was also the first overall pick by San Jose in the 2006 NLL entry draft. All-time including playoffs, Benesch fourth in NLL history for games played (283) and he ranks fourth in NLL history in goals (572), eighth in assists (765) and seventh in points (1,337). Benesch was traded to Toronto by San Jose in 2006 and played there for two seasons before moving on to play for Edmonton (2009), Minnesota (2010-13), Buffalo (2014-17), Colorado (2018-19), Rochester (2019), Halifax (2020 and '23), Albany (2022) and Panther City (2022).
- Dylan Watson: Just prior to their game against Las Vegas on Jan. 18, the Seals acquired Watson in a trade with the Desert Dogs and Watson scored a goal in his first game as a Seal. Watson had a season-high six points (3 goals and 3 assists) in the Seals' Feb. 22 game against Buffalo. A second-year NLL pro, Watson was the Desert Dogs' fifth-leading scorer as a rookie during the 2023-24 season, having tallied 19 goals and 16 assists (35 total points) while appearing in all 18 games. He also showed tenacity, securing 42 loose balls.
- Trent DiCicco: A first-round pick of the Seals in last September's NLL Draft, DiCicco scored his first NLL goal in the Seals' Dec. 7 game at Georgia and he had a team-leading three assists in the Seals' Feb. 1 outing against Saskatchewan. A four-year letterman at Ohio State University, DiCicco was a team captain as a senior and he was the team's hammer recipient in 2023-24, an honor that is bestowed upon a senior leader in the Buckeyes' weight room each offseason. The Guelph, Ontario native played 47 career games at OSU, tallying 88 ground balls, 17 points and 10 caused turnovers.
Seals Top Returnees
- Seals Team Captain Wes Berg finished the 2023-24 regular season with 108 points, second-most in a season in team history, behind the 109 he scored during the 2022-23 season. His 108 points were sixth-most in the NLL. Berg's 67 assists led the team and were tied for seventh in the NLL, while his 41 goals were second on the team and tied for 12th in the League.
- Goalkeeper Chris Origlieri finished the 2023-24 season with the National Lacrosse League's second-lowest goals against average (9.79) among starting netminders. He played the third-most minutes in the League, a team-record 1,059:57; he recorded the NLL's fifth-highest save percentage among starters (79%), also a team record, and he finished the year ninth in the League with 661 saves on the season. "Rigs'" 13 wins as the Seals' starting goaltender were also a team record.
- Defenseman Kyle Rubisch led the Seals and ranked 7th in the NLL a season ago with a team-record 29 takeaways.
- Trevor Baptiste, the renowned faceoff specialist, finished third in the NLL in faceoff wins last season, his first in San Diego, with a team-record 308. Baptiste's 71% faceoff win percentage ranked third in the League among players with at least 250 faceoffs taken. Baptiste also set a team single-season record for loose balls secured (177), a figure which ranked 3rd in the NLL.
Game Summaries
Game 1 vs. Philadelphia: In a high-scoring affair that featured 33 combined goals, the Seals bounced back from an early 5-1 deficit to knock off the Philadelphia Wings, 18-15, in their 2024-25 National Lacrosse League opener on at Pechanga Arena. It was a fast and furious first quarter that saw the Seals and Wings combine for 12 goals as Philadelphia staked out to an 8-4 lead. San Diego struck first with veteran newcomer Ryan Benesch scoring his first goal as a Seal before the Wings went on a five-goal run. Down 5-1 with 4:34 left in the first quarter, Benesch halted the Philadelphia run with a goal that trickled thru the legs of Wings goaltender Nick Damude. Zach Currier and Ben McIntosh each scored their first goals as Seals just 42 seconds apart during the opening quarter. The second period was all Seals as they outscored the Wings 7-1, including four power play goals, to claim an 11-9 edge at the break. Rob Hellyer scored his first three goals as a Seal, including one on the power play on a beautiful pass from Wes Berg. Midway thru the period, Berg scored his first goal of the season on a pass from Benesch during a power play and 1:44 later, Berg returned the favor, finding an open Benesch for his third of the night, also on the power play, to draw the Seals within one at 9-8. After another Philadelphia penalty, McIntosh tied the game at 9-9 off a nice assist from the Seals top pick in the 2024 NLL Draft, Trent DiCicco. At the 1:38 mark, Berg went behind the back to Hellyer to give the Seals a lead 10-9, their first since they led 1-0 early in the contest and McIntosh netted his third with 50.2 left in the half for the final goal of the opening 30 minutes. The teams combined for seven goals in the third period with San Diego outscoring the Wings 4-3 to stretch their lead to 15-12. Benesch scored twice more, his fourth and fifth of the night, while Adam Noakes and Eli Gobrecht both scored their first of the season for the Seals, with Gobrecht's coming on a runout after a long pass from goalkeeper Chris Origlieri. There was a pivotal moment late in the third period when Rubisch was whistled for a five-minute major penalty for high-sticking, but the Seals put up a wall on defense and held the Wings scoreless while scoring a goal of their own shorthanded 51 seconds into the fourth with Tre Leclaire scoring off a pass from DiCicco. The Seals would go on to play the Wings even in the fourth period with both teams scoring three goals apiece. The Seals' final scores coming from McIntosh, who logged his fourth of the night and Drew Belgrave, who scored into an empty net with 3:13 left in the contest.
Game 2 at Georgia: For the second year in a row, the Seals and Georgia Swarm required extra time to settle matters, but this time it was the Swarm who came out on top as Andrew Kew's goal 2:55 into overtime gave the Swarm a 13-12 win in their season opener at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia. It was a high-scoring and back and forth affair early that saw the teams combine for 17 goals in the first 30 minutes. The Seals scored a pair in the first period before adding seven in the second to jump out to a 9-8 lead at halftime. Among those seven was a goal by Trent DiCicco, the Seals' top pick in the 2024 NLL Draft, which was his first professional NLL goal. Rob Hellyer accounted for three of the Seals' first half goals while Wes Berg chipped in with a pair. The Seals jumped out to an 11-8 lead 1:29 into the third quarter but Georgia scored the next three and the game was tied 11-11 going into the fourth. The score remained as such until the 9:24 mark of the fourth when Ryan Benesch ended a 19-minute scoring drought for San Diego with his second goal of the night to give the Seals a 12-11 lead. With just over four minutes left in regulation, Seth Oakes scored for the Swarm to tie the game at 12 apiece. That goal was Georgia's first in more than 13 minutes as they too endured a long scoring drought. Neither team would score again in the fourth, setting up the overtime finish. Notable: Wes Berg scored four points against the Swarm to reach the 600-point plateau for his career. Ben McIntosh had 4 loose ball recoveries to reach 600 for his career. Kyle Rubisch had nine loose ball recoveries to up his career total to 1,707 on route to becoming just the eighth player in NLL history with at least 1,700. Zach Currier scooped up 11 loose balls giving him an even 1,300 for his career.
Game 3 vs. Colorado: The Seals continued their dominance over Colorado but had to hold on late for a hard-fought 14-11 win at Pechanga Arena. Wes Berg had a stellar night for the Seals with a team-leading seven points on four goals and three assists. After being tied 3-3 at the end of the first quarter, the Seals outscored the Mammoth 7-2 in the second to jump out to a 10-5 lead at halftime. Berg and Kyle Jackson, who was making his season debut, both netted three first-half goals while Zach Currier scored a pair. The most impressive goal of the first half though was scored by Danny Logan at the end of the first quarter. With time winding down in the quarter, the Mammoth pulled goaltender Dillon Ward to gain a man advantage, but Colorado's shot with seconds remaining in the half missed the net and was rebounded up by Logan, who fired a length of the field shot into an empty Mammoth net sending Pechanga Arena into a frenzy. Logan did it again late in the Seals' three-goal third period, scoring on the run out, beating Ward one-on-one after taking a long pass from goaltender Chris Origlieri. Down five heading into in the fourth, Colorado closed to within two at 13-11 before Eli Gobrecht's goal with 25.8 seconds remaining sealed the win for the Seals. Notable: Origlieri recorded 32 saves against the Mammoth, passing the 1,000 career save mark in the process.
Game 4 vs. Georgia: Despite getting four goals from Ryan Benesch, the Seals fell to the Georga Swarm, 11-8, at Pechanga Arena. It was a low-scoring game that was tied 4-4 at halftime before Georgia outscored the Seals 3-1 in the third quarter to jump out to a 8-5 lead. Early in the fourth, the Seals climbed to within a goal at 8-7 after Ben McIntosh's goal with 9:32 remaining, but Georgia countered with a pair of goals in a 2:45 stretch to jump back ahead 10-7. Benesch scored his fourth goal of the night for the Seals on a power play with 5:12 left in the fourth to make it a two-goal game, which it remained until Georgia added an empty netter with 47 seconds left as they closed out the win.
Game 5 vs. Ottawa: In a tight, low-scoring, defensive affair, the Seals picked up a key 6-5 win over the Ottawa Black Bears at Pechanga Arena and in the process, they become the first team in NLL history to win a game when scoring just six goals. The Seals' defense and goaltender Chris Origlieri were the story of the night as the team held Ottawa scoreless for the final 37:02 of regulation, while Origlieri made 31 saves. It was a 2-2 game after one quarter. The Seals goals were scored by a spinning Ben McIntosh at the top of the crease 1:24 into the contest, and Rob Hellyer who scored on the power play off a nice feed from Wes Berg at the 5:39 mark. The Seals added another pair in the second but were outscored by Ottawa 3-2 in the period and trailed 5-4 at the break. Both Seals goals were scored by players who netted their first of the season. Graydon Bradey scored first, 3:28 into the quarter before Matt Wright put one in 24 seconds later. Wright's was also the first of his career. San Diego came out of the locker room roaring after halftime and the Seals were consistent, scoring another pair in the third. Just 40 seconds into the quarter, Berg took a beautiful pass from Hellyer and scored on a diving shot down the middle to tie the game at 5-5 and just 58 seconds later, Berg did it again with a shot from the top of the crease to put the Seals up 6-5.
Game 6 at Vancouver: A defensive battle for three quarters turned into an offensive shootout in the fourth and the Seals came up on the short end, falling 11-9 to the Vancouver Warriors at the Rogers Center in British Columbia, Canada. After combining for just nine goals in the game's opening three quarters, the teams dropped the gloves and tallied 11 in the fourth and final quarter, but eight of those were scored by the Warriors, including a game-high six by forward Keegan Bal, all in that fourth and final period. A 6-3 game heading into the fourth quarter, Vancouver scored twice in the first 3:57 to climb within a goal at 6-5. Ryan Benesch halted the Warrior run on a run down the middle, taking a nice feed from Cam Holding and beating Warriors' goalie Aden Walsh low on the stick side to put the Seals back on top by two, 7-5. Vancouver came back however and went on a 4-0 run to jump ahead 9-7 with 4:33 left in the game. Holding put an end to the run, coming up with a loose ball near midfield and putting it into the net unassisted to draw the Seals back within one at 9-8. Still down a goal, and a player, after Wes Berg was called for a holding penalty with 2:01 left in fourth, Seals Head Coach Patrick Merrill made a gutsy decision to pull goaltender Chris Origlieri to draw to even strength and Rob Hellyer rewarded Merrill's faith, scoring a goal with 1:27 left to tie the game at 9-9. Still on the power play though, Bal scored his fifth of the night just 19 seconds later to put the Warriors back up, 10-9 and less than a minute after that, Bal dashed the Seals hopes of a comeback, scoring an empty netter with just 14 seconds left for the final goal of the night.
Game 7 at Las Vegas: The Seals fell to the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, 12-10, at the Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. The Seals trailed for most of the night, but climbed to within a goal (9-8) after three quarters before being outscored by the Desert Dogs, 3-2, over the final 15 minutes. Ryan Benesch had a team-high three goals for San Diego, including a pair of power play goals, while Rob Hellyer and Kyle Jackson, who was playing in his 100th career NLL game, both scored twice. And Dylan Watson, who had just been acquired from Las Vegas days before the game, scored his first goal as a Seal in the second.
Game 8 vs Saskatchewan: A 7-0 halftime deficit was too much to overcome as the Seals fell to the Saskatchewan Rush, 12-8, at Pechanga Arena. The Seals fought back valiantly to make it a game in the third period, outscoring the Rush 5-2 to climb back within 9-5. Rookie Trent DiCicco was a bright spot for the Seals as he set up three straight goals in the quarter, including two to Ben McIntosh and another to Rob Hellyer. They, along with Zach Currier, all finished the night with two goals apiece to lead the team. Notable: Ryan Benesch played in his 281st career game, moving past former Seal Brodie Merrill for the 4th-most games played all-time in NLL history.
Game 9 at Toronto: Seals team captain Wes Berg capped off a four-goal night with a game-winning goal with just 49 seconds left as the Seals ended a three-game losing streak with an 11-10 win over the Toronto Rock at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. For Berg, the game-winner was the 250th goal of his illustrious career. Fellow forward Rob Hellyer, who was playing in his 150th career regular-season game, co-starred in the victory as it was his goal with 1:16 left in the fourth that put a halt to a 5-0 Toronto run and tied the game at 10-10, setting up Berg's heroics. The Seals were in command for most of the game, holding leads of 2-1 after one period, 6-3 at halftime and 9-5 after three periods but the Rock caught fire in the fourth. They scored five unanswered goals in the first 7:59 before Seals goaltender Chris Origlieri settled down and didn't give up a goal the rest of the night as part of a 39-save effort. Notable: Berg's four goals were the most by either side, while Hellyer and Dylan Watson both scored twice. Three was the magic number in the assist category as Hellyer, Ryan Benesch, Eli Gobrecht, Ben McIntosh and Ty Thompson all tallied three on the night. Defensively, Zach Currier scooped up a game-high 13 loose balls, while Jesse Gamble, Matthew Wright and Gobrecht each forced a pair of turnovers among the 11 takeaways San Diego's defense recorded on the night.
Game 10 at Buffalo: Wes Berg's fifth goal of the night, 5:02 into overtime, sent shockwaves through Buffalo's KeyBank Center as the Seals ended Buffalo's 16-game winning streak with a 14-13 overtime victory. And Berg's heroics wouldn't have been possible were it not for Zach Currier's goal with six seconds left in the fourth quarter that tied the game at 13-13 and sent it into the extra session. For the second straight week, Seals goaltender Chris Origlieri came up clutch when the team needed him most. After surrendering a goal that gave Buffalo a 13-11 lead with 6:54 left in regulation, "Rigsy" didn't allow another over the next 11:56 as part of a 39-save effort. Berg's game winner against the Bandits capped a game-leading and season-high five goal night for the Seals captain. Currier backed up Berg's performance with a season-best three goals, while Rob Hellyer, Dylan Watson and Ben McIntosh each scored two goals apiece. Currier also paced a stout defensive performance for the Seals as he led the way with a season-best 14 loose balls secured against the Bandits, while he and Hellyer both had a team-high four of the Seals 20 caused turnovers.
Game 11 vs. Buffalo: The Seals and Bandits picked up right where they left off a week prior and it was another high-scoring affair with the Bandits coming out on top 13-12 at Pechanga Arena. The game was tight throughout as it featured 10 ties and six lead changes and Kyle Buchanan's goal with 4:25 left proved to be the game-winner for Buffalo. The Seals got a game-high four goals from Tre Leclaire, his fourth of which tied the game 12-12 with 4:49 left, while Buchanan paced Buffalo with three. Dylan Watson had a season-high six points on three goals and three assists for the Seals, while Wes Berg scored twice dished out four assists.
Game 12 vs. Vancouver: Wes Berg's goal with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter ended a 17:23 scoreless drought and propelled the Seals to a 13-11 win over the Vancouver Warriors at Pechanga Arena. The goal was Berg's game-leading fourth of the night. It was a 4-3 game after one quarter. Berg scored the first goal of the night just 25 seconds in before adding a power play goal midway through the quarter. Ryan Benesch scored the Seals' other first-quarter goal. The Seals outscored the Warriors 5-3 in the second to take an 8-7 lead at halftime. Five different Seals scored in the quarter. Zach Currier opened the scoring with a nifty backhanded goal just 38 seconds in. Forty-six seconds later, Dylan Watson rebounded his own miss and scored to give the Seals a 5-4 lead. Vancouver scored the game's next three goals over a 2:16 stretch before the Seals countered with a three-goal run of their own with goals from Ben McIntosh, Benesch and Berg's third of the night. And while forward Rob Hellyer didn't score a goal, he assisted on five of the Seals' eight first-half goals. The third quarter was all Seals as they outscored Vancouver 3-0 to surge ahead 11-7. Tre Leclaire was at the right place at the right time, scoring the first on a scoop-and-score, while Hellyer and Benesch both scored power play goals. Benesch's was his third of the night for the hat trick. While the third quarter was all Seals, the fourth quarter was all Warriors, at least in the early going. Vancouver scored 1:04 into the fourth quarter, ending a 24:33 scoreless stretch and proceeded to score 3 more unanswered over the next 4:04 to tie the contest 11-11. Goaltender Chris Origlieri settled back down and held Vancouver scoreless for the final 9:52, setting the stage for Berg's game-winner. Hellyer officially put it away with a driving goal with 37.5 left for the final score in the 13-11 win.
San Diego Seals 2024-25 Regular-Season Schedule & Results (6-6)
Date Opponent Arena Theme Start Time TV / Final Score
Sunday, Dec. 1 PHILADELPHIA WINGS Pechanga Arena Opening Night 3:00 p.m. W, 18-15
Saturday, Dec. 7 at Georgia Swarm Gas South Arena 5:00 p.m. L, 12-13 (OT)
Friday, Dec. 13 COLORADO MAMMOTH Pechanga Arena Emo Night 7:30 p.m. W, 14-11
Saturday, Dec. 21 GEORGIA SWARM Pechanga Arena Heroes Night 7:00 p.m. L, 8-11
Saturday, Jan. 4 OTTAWA BLACK BEARS Pechanga Arena Country Night 7:00 p.m. W, 6-5
Friday, Jan. 10 at Vancouver Warriors Rogers Arena 7:00 p.m. L, 9-11
Saturday, Jan. 18 at Las Vegas Desert Dogs Lee's Family Forum 7:00 p.m. L, 10-12
Saturday, Feb. 1 SASKATCHEWAN RUSH Pechanga Arena Mexican Heritage Night 7:00 p.m. L, 8-12
Saturday, Feb. 8 at Toronto Rock Paramount Fine Foods Centre 4:00 p.m. W, 11-10
Saturday, Feb. 15 at Buffalo Bandits KeyBank Center 4:30 p.m. W, 14-13 (OT)
Saturday, Feb. 22 BUFFALO BANDITS Pechanga Arena Margaritaville Night 7:00 p.m. L, 12-13
Friday, March 7 VANCOUVER WARRIORS Pechanga Arena Stick Up for a Cure 7:30 p.m. W, 13-11
Sunday, March 16 LAS VEGAS DESERT DOGS Pechanga Arena Native American Heritage Day 1:30 p.m. ESPNU
Saturday, March 22 at Calgary Roughnecks Scotiabank Saddledome 6:00 p.m. Fox 5 & ESPN+
Saturday, March 29 at Rochester Knighthawks Blue Cross Arena 4:00 p.m. KUSI & ESPN+
Saturday, April 5 at Halifax Thunderbirds Scotiabank Centre 3:00 p.m. KUSI & ESPN+
Saturday, April 12 at Albany Firewolves MVP Arena 4:00 p.m. KUSI & ESPN+
Friday, April 18 ALBANY FIREWOLVES Pechanga Arena Fan Appreciation Night 7:30 p.m. KUSI & ESPN+
Home games in CAPS. All Times Pacific.
National Lacrosse League Stories from March 11, 2025
- Seals Set to Host Rival Desert Dogs in Sunday Afternoon Matinee at Pechanga Arena - San Diego Seals
- Mammoth Place Eli McLaughlin on Hold out List as BC Native Commits to Firefighting Career - Colorado Mammoth
- Player Transactions - NLL
- Warriors Acquire Top Goaltender Del Bianco from Calgary, a First Round and Two Second-Round Picks from Ottawa and Buffalo - Vancouver Warriors
- Seals Bring Home Poway's Marquez White - San Diego Seals
- Desert Dogs Travel to San Diego for Rivalry Battle - Las Vegas Desert Dogs
- Black Bears Acquire Sam La Roue, Travis Longboat and Picks in Four-Team Trade - Ottawa Black Bears
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- Seals Advance to the NLL Semifinals in a Dramatic Overtime Win
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