Thunderbirds, Desert Dogs Face-Off in the Nest
Published on March 7, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Halifax Thunderbirds News Release
The Halifax Thunderbirds are looking to win their second consecutive game Saturday night when they welcome the Las Vegas Desert Dogs to Scotiabank Centre. Opening face-off is set for 7:00 p.m. AT.
Head to Head
These two teams have met up twice over as many previous seasons, with Halifax holding a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series.
Halifax protected home floor two years ago, coming out with a 12-10 victory at the tail end of 2024. When the two teams met a year ago in Vegas, the Thunderbirds pulled out a low-scoring 9-5 victory at Lee's Family Forum.
In the two games, Clarke Petterson leads the way for all Halifax players with four goals and nine points, while Cody Jamieson has four goals and six points.
Warren Hill holds a 6.67 goals-against average and an .864 save percentage in his pair of games against the Desert Dogs.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds scored a season-high 14 goals in Calgary last weekend, getting strong performances across the board offensively.
Clarke Petterson (23G, 24A) led the way for Halifax with a season-high five goals and seven points, while Randy Staats (18G, 33A) chipped in three goals and six points. Thunderbirds captain Cody Jamieson (15G, 18A) had a season-high in points, totalling six helpers in the win.
The Thunderbirds also got some important depth goals from Jason Knox (9G, 9A), Brendan Bomberry (2G, 12A), Stephen Keogh (2G, 3A), and Bo Bowhunter (3G, 1A) against the Roughnecks.
Halifax's transition game was a major factor in that victory as well, with both Graeme Hossack and Colton Armstrong scoring crucial second-half goals to start a run that put the Thunderbirds ahead for good.
Ryan Terefenko also had two assists. The transition ace has three goals and 17 points on the year.
Warren Hill had a strong performance in the cage, making 48 saves to earn his fourth victory of the year. The Halifax starter owns a 10.15 goals-against average and an .813 save percentage this season.
Scouting the Desert Dogs
The Desert Dogs went out this off-season and made three splashes on the offensive side in free agency, adding Mitch Jones (21G, 39A), Chase Fraser (10G, 12A), and Chris Cloutier (20G, 26A).
Jones leads the team in scoring while Cloutier sits third. Fraser has missed the middle portion of the season due to injury, but he's averaging 3.6 points per game this year.
Jonathan Donville (14G, 43A) has been a leader for this team over the past two years since being taken by Vegas in the Dispersal Draft. The Desert Dogs also have a solid veteran in Kyle Killen (12G, 4A), along with some promising offensive talents in Adam Poitras (16G, 11A) and Jackson Webster (8G, 12A).
Vegas is led defensively by Connor Kirst, Drew Belgrave, Brandon Goodwin, John Lafontaine, and Tony Malcom. Their defence is a younger group, but they are physical and athletic out the back gate.
Landon Kells occupies the Desert Dogs' crease. In his fourth year with the organization, Kells holds a 12.81 GAA and a .752 SV% along with a 4-3 record.
Milestone Watch
Randy Staats needs one point to reach 700 for his career
Warren Hill needs three saves to reach 3,000 as a member of the Thunderbirds...Needs one win to become the 19th goaltender in NLL history to reach 50 career wins
Stephen Keogh needs one goal to reach 250 for his career...Needs six points to reach 500 for his career
Colton Armstrong needs eight loose balls to reach 300 for his career
Jake Withers needs five points to reach 100 for his career
Brendan Bomberry needs nine goals to reach 100 for his career
Broadcast Information
Fans can tune into action on Saturday night on TSN+ and NLL+ in Canada and on ESPN+ in the United States.
National Lacrosse League Stories from March 7, 2026
- Desert Dogs Fall to Thunderbirds in Halifax - Las Vegas Desert Dogs
- Tale of Two Halves as Warriors Drop Contest 13-10 to Rock - Vancouver Warriors
- Thunderbirds, Desert Dogs Face-Off in the Nest - Halifax Thunderbirds
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