Thunderbirds Take Game One with Strong Road Effort in Georgia
NLL Halifax Thunderbirds

Thunderbirds Take Game One with Strong Road Effort in Georgia

Published on May 2, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Halifax Thunderbirds News Release


HALIFAX, NS -- The Halifax Thunderbirds took a 1-0 series lead in their Semifinal series on Saturday night, beating the Georgia Swarm 12-7 at Gas South Arena.

Clarke Petterson paced the Thunderbirds on the night, scoring two goals and adding seven assists for a nine-point outing. For the second straight weekend, Jason Knox scored four goals to lead his team, finishing the night with six points of his own.

Casey Wilson had a strong night in his second career playoff contest, scoring a goal and finishing the night with four points.

Stephen Keogh and Brendan Bomberry also put up two goals each in the win. Mike Robinson also had two assists.

Warren Hill continued his strong playoff performance, holding a team to single digits for the second straight game. The Halifax starter turned away 35 shots to help his team to a victory.

Georgia started the game off strong, with Richie Connell finding the opening goal just over a minute into the first quarter. Halifax got its tying goal from Knox, who buried a shot while sweeping over the top. But the Swarm added a transition tally from Mike Manley under a minute later to regain a 2-1 advantage through the opening 15 minutes.

The hosts pushed their lead to three in short order to open the second frame. Swarm captain Jordan MacIntosh scored in transition 16 seconds in, and Lyle Thompson followed up with another 33 seconds later to make it 4-1 Georgia.

However, Halifax had another comeback effort in them to end the half. Bomberry got his first of the night, cleaning up a loose ball in the middle to stop the run. Petterson got another off a beautiful shot that rang the far side post and dropped. The tying goal came from Keogh, as he beat Georgia goaltender Brett Dobson five-hole.

Then Knox put Halifax into the lead for the first time on the night with under two minutes left in the half, stinging a shot to send the Thunderbirds into the break with a 5-4 advantage.

With a late power-play chance to end the first half, Halifax took advantage of that opportunity coming out of the half. Knox completed his hat trick with another sneaky short-side shot. Connell got it back for Georgia under a minute later, but Keogh restored the lead at the 6:54 mark with another bouncer through the wickets of Dobson.

30 seconds later, it was Petterson and rookie Casey Wilson connecting, as Wilson cut through the middle and slotted home his first career playoff goal. Bomberry scored in what was a carbon copy of Wilson's effort, getting through the middle and outwaiting Dobson to make it a four-goal Thunderbird lead.

Kaleb Benedict ended the run with a power-play marker with four seconds remaining in the third, but Halifax held a 9-6 lead with 15 minutes to play.

While Shayne Jackson did chip in a goal to open the fourth, it's as close as the Swarm could get the rest of the way.

Johnny Pearson got his first of the year in a crucial moment, beating MacIntosh underneath and slipping a shot over Dobson's shoulder on top of the crease. Knox registered his second straight four-goal game with a late marker in the fourth, getting a feed in tight from Jamieson and making no mistake.

Petterson capped off the night with an empty-netter to make it 12-7 Halifax, sending his team home with a 1-0 series lead.

The Thunderbirds will return home next weekend, looking to punch their tickets to the first NLL Final since moving to the Maritimes. Game two is set for Saturday, May 9 at 7:00 p.m. AT. Game three, if necessary, will also take place at Scotiabank Centre on Sunday, May 10 at 7:00 p.m. AT.

Head to HalifaxThunderbirds.com/tickets or call 902-334-2333 to secure your seats!

Check out the Halifax Thunderbirds Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from May 2, 2026


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