What to Watch for vs. Halifax Thunderbirds - NLL Finals
Published on May 17, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Toronto Rock News Release
HALIFAX, NS - The Toronto Rock are one win away from capturing their first championship in 15 years after winning Game 1 by a score of 13-11 on Friday night. This evening, the Rock will attempt to close out the NLL Finals best-of-3 series with a win over the Thunderbirds in Game 2 at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
Fans can watch the game vs. Halifax at 6:00pm ET on TSN. Alternatively, tune in on TSN's digital platform TSN+ via TSN.ca and the TSN App as well as ESPN+. To stream the game on TSN+ or ESPN+, a paid subscription is required.
Here's what to watch for in Friday's matchup.
Following morning shoot around the Rock's roster once again stayed the same with no roster moves to report. However, the Halifax Thunderbirds did make one swap moving Randy Staats from Injured Reserve to the Active Roster. Stephen Keogh goes to the Injured Reserve.
In NLL Finals games played on the road, the Rock are 2-2
The Specials Teams battle in Game 1 was even with both teams going 1-for-2 on the man up.
There were lead changes and stretches of the game that were tied, but the Rock only led for 10:24 in Game 1 but most importantly led at the final buzzer.
Nick Rowlett's contributions to this playoff run cannot be understated, Rock HC Matt Sawyer gave him the game ball after Friday's win for his efforts at the dot but also for a huge playoff off the face where he took the ball away from Ryan Terefenko and found Owen Hiltz breaking off the bench to tie the game just 14 seconds after Halifax took a 4th quarter lead.
With 3 points in Game 1 of the series, Challen Rogers passed Kasey Beirnes for 9th place in Rock all-time playoff scoring with 44 points. Up next on the list are Josh Sanderson (8th w/45) and Garrett Billings (7th w/47).
After being named NLL Rookie of the Year last week, CJ Kirst followed that up with an epic NLL Finals debut leading the Rock offensively with 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points. He also recorded a natural hat trick as part of the Rock's mid-game comeback from a 9-4 deficit.
Both Nick Rose and Warren Hill put on a great display of big game goaltending in their respective nets. At the end of the night, Rose had earned his first win of his career in his NLL Finals career. Expect both netminders to be on their game again this evening.
INJURY REPORT: TD Ierlan is on the PUP List. Zack Kearney, Kobe Handsor, and Robert Hudson are on the Season Ending Injured Reserve List. Justin Martin (Lower) and Phil Mazzuca (Upper) are on the Injured Reserve List.
Game 3, if necessary, will be Sat., May 23 at 7:30pm at TD Coliseum in Hamilton.
Last night, a brand new episode of Rock City Unplugged was released featuring an in depth look at the NLL Semifinals series vs. San Diego.
Also, there was a special edition of the Toronto Rock Total Access Podcast released yesterday to get you primed for tonight's game.
For more information on Toronto Rock tickets, please contact a Toronto Rock account executive by phone at 905-426-4744, by email at tickets@torontorock.com or visit torontorock.com.
National Lacrosse League Stories from May 17, 2026
- What to Watch for vs. Halifax Thunderbirds - NLL Finals - Toronto Rock
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