Swarm Topple Roughnecks 19-9 in Edmonton NLL UnBOXed Series
NLL Georgia Swarm

Swarm Topple Roughnecks 19-9 in Edmonton NLL UnBOXed Series

Published on January 19, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Georgia Swarm News Release


EDMONTON, AB - The Georgia Swarm (3-3) made their mark in Edmonton tonight as they took down the Calgary Roughnecks (1-5) 19-9 on Friday night at Rogers Place.

Lyle Thompson led the way for the Swarm on offense with 10 points (4G-6A), followed by Bryan Cole's eight-point night (3G-5A) and Toron Eccleston's four-goal night (4G-1A).

It was all Georgia to start this one, as the Swarm opened the scoring just three minutes and eighteen seconds into the game from a strike by Seth Van Schepen that beat Roughnecks goalie Aden Walsh.

That opening goal proved only to be the beginning of an abundance of goals for the Swarm. Georgia added five more - courtesy of Toron Eccleston, Lyle Thompson, Kean Moon, Shayne Jackson, and Bryan Cole - before Calgary finally solved Brett Dobson with just under two minutes remaining in the quarter after he made a string of excellent saves to keep the Roughnecks off the board early. However, Georgia's Kaleb Benedict would answer back with three seconds left in the quarter off a crease dive play to give the Swarm a resounding 7-1 lead after 15 minutes.

Calgary started the second quarter with a goal from Haiden Dickson 22 seconds in, but the momentum eventually turned back in favor of Georgia after a nine-minute scoreless stretch. The Swarm scored once again in the final six minutes of the quarter with Toron Eccleston adding a pair, and Lyle Thompson and Bryan Cole each adding one a piece to increase the lead to 11-2.

The scoring barrage for the Swarm didn't stop there, though. Georgia scored three more unanswered goals in the first five minutes of the third and continued to put pressure on Calgary. The Roughnecks would answer back with just under nine minutes to go, but the Swarm swiftly countered with two more goals from Toron Eccleston and Lyle Thompson on a five-minute power play.

With the Swarm up 16-3, the game was firmly in Georgia's control before heading into the final frame. However, Calgary did not go away quietly, scoring three unanswered goals in the later minutes of the third quarter and the early moments of the fourth. But the late run ultimately wouldn't matter, as the Swarm's lead proved to be too much for the Roughnecks. Georgia added another three to their lead and closed out the game in Edmonton with a 19-9 victory.

Brett Dobson was fantastic in the win, posting 30 of a combined 40 saves in net. The goaltender praised his team's strong defence and physicality in limiting high-danger opportunities for the Roughnecks.

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - January 16, 2026: The National Lacrosse League (NLL) presents the UnBOXed Series from Rogers Place. Calgary Roughnecks vs Georgia Swarm.

"I felt like this was a great opportunity to have our team kind of gel together at an early point in the season," Brett Dobson said post-game. "Our defence is one of the best in the league. I felt like our guys were flying around, getting hands on stick ... I get lucky to make a couple big saves, but those guys are the guys who deserve all the credit."

"He's been great," Swarm Head Coach Ed Comeau said post-game about the play of goaltender Brett Dobson. "Our defense has been really good ... but when we have a breakdown, Brett's making huge saves."

Lyle Thompson recorded a team-high 10 points in the win over Calgary and was a force on offense for the Swarm. Comeau credited the veteran for "letting the game come to him" and his efforts in the win.

"Lyle just played really focused tonight and [with] a clear mind," Comeau explained. "When he does that, he's still [one of] the top players in the world."

Georgia went 3-for-6 on the power play while Calgary went 1-for-4.

The Swarm will continue their three-game road trip with a stop at TD Coliseum for a matchup against the Toronto Rock on January 24, and then head to Scotiabank Centre to play the Halifax Thunderbirds on January 31, before returning home on February 7 to play the Las Vegas Desert Dogs.

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National Lacrosse League Stories from January 19, 2026


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