Thunderbirds Stuns Warriors With 10-7 Loss

Depending on who you ask other than the Vancouver Goldeneyes the Warriors this past season have easily been the ‘hottest ticket” in town this past season despite the loss to both teams eliminating them from advancing in the playoffs.

Friday’s match-up at Rogers Arena saw the Warriors (13 wins/5 losses) finish first overall in the NLL played host to eighth place Thunderbirds (8 wins/10 losses) in a game that saw the winner advance while the losing team’s season was abruptly ended.

To the shock of everyone at the game they watched as the Vancouver Warriors’ historic season ended in stunning fashion as the Halifax Thunderbirds erased a six-goal halftime deficit to claim a 10-7 victory in an NLL single-elimination quarterfinal.

Halifax scored nine unanswered goals in the second half to eliminate the top-seeded Warriors and advance to the semifinals while the Warriors were knocked out in their opening game after one of the most dramatic collapses in recent league playoff history.

Head coach Curt Malawsky did not hide the emotion afterward, describing the loss as far more than ordinary playoff disappointment telling the media in the post-game scrum saying “Disappointing, but more devastating, to be honest with you,” Malawsky said.

Warriors dominate opening half

For the first 30 minutes, Vancouver looked every bit like a championship contender that saw the Warriors defend aggressively, controlling the pace and building a commanding 7-1 lead by halftime. 

Vancouver led 2-1 after the first quarter before scoring five times in the second as Keegan Bal paced the offence with three goals and three assists, while Marcus Klarich scored twice, Jesse King added a goal and four assists with Curtis Dickson chipped in with a goal and an assist.

Goaltender Christian Del Bianco was sharp early, helping limit Halifax to one goal in the opening half, turning several quality shots aside, keeping the Warriors in control on route to a possible win.

The Thunderbirds generated shots, but Vancouver’s structure and Del Bianco’s play in net kept the visitors from establishing momentum.

Third quarter changes everything

The game turned completely after halftime.

Halifax stormed out of the dressing room and scored six unanswered goals in the third quarter, wiping out Vancouver’s lead and tying the game 7-7 heading into the fourth.

The Thunderbirds’ transition game became a major factor, while the Warriors struggled to regain possession and generate clean offensive looks.

Captain Brett Mydske said Vancouver knew Halifax would respond, but the Warriors could not slow the momentum swing.

“We knew they were going to push back,” Mydske said. “I thought we could bounce back from that, but we just couldn’t get any chances going.”

Mydske added that penalties and transition chances played a major role in the collapse.

“We gave up a lot of transition,” he said. “We took too many penalties and they capitalized on the power play.”

Halifax finishes comeback in fourth

Halifax carried its surge into the final quarter, taking its first lead of the game at 8-7 early in the frame before adding two more goals.

Vancouver was shut out for the entire second half and could not solve Thunderbirds goaltender Warren Hill late. Hill finished with 36 saves, while Del Bianco stopped 61 of 71 shots in defeat.

Despite allowing 10 goals, Del Bianco was one of Vancouver’s best players, repeatedly keeping the Warriors within reach as Halifax poured on pressure.

Mydske said the team felt it let its goaltender down.

“He’s the backbone of our team,” Mydske said of Del Bianco. “It felt like we left him out to dry. He played a hell of a game.”

Goaltender Christian Del Bianco turned aside 61 of 71 shots he faced, stopping 15 shots in the first quarter alone. 

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In conversation with some the day following the loss everyone is still in shock and if the fans feel like this one can only imagine how the team feels about the loss after such a remarkable season both on and off the floor.