NLL roundup: Toronto Rock down Halifax Thunderbirds

Dawick’s goal ended a very entertaining contest at Scotiabank Centre

Published Mar 15, 2026  •  3 minute read

Toronto Rock logo Photo by Toronto Rock /Toronto Rock

The Toronto Rock hasn’t required Josh Dawick to carry the offence to the extent he did last season. But he delivered when his team needed him most on Friday. 

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A 40-goal scorer during the 2025 season, Dawick notched his first hat trick of the current campaign, including the winner 5:58 into overtime as the Rock defeated the Halifax Thunderbirds 14-13. Dawick received a pass from Challen Rogers near the left boards and made his way to a more preferable shooting lane before beating Halifax goaltender Warren Hill with a low shot. 

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Dawick’s goal ended a very entertaining contest at Scotiabank Centre where the lead changed hands several times and neither team had more than a two-goal cushion at any stage. 

“We are just continuing to strive for consistency,” Dawick said. “It’s always hard to play here and we knew that was the type of game it was going to be. Thrilled to come out on the right end of that one.” 

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Rogers, who is now firmly entrenched in an offensive role after years of being a defensive and transition stalwart scored the goal to tie the game at 12 then seconds later, put Toronto ahead. But Brendan Bomberry beat Rock goaltender Nick Rose with 22 seconds left to force the extra frame. 

Owen Hiltz scored three times for the Rock. Latrell Harris, Mark Matthews, Dan Craig and Chris Boushy had goals as did Sam English, who played the best game of his young career, and Josh Jackson, acquired by the team from the Las Vegas Desert Dogs at Monday’s NLL trade deadline. The Rock now sit at 8-5 and have won two straight.  

There’s still a lot of lacrosse to be played and we’re just trying to get better each and every week,” Rock head coach Matt Sawyer said. “We feel like we’ve been making strides and tonight it was important to follow up last week’s performance with another real good one.” 

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For the Thunderbirds (5-8), Clarke Petterson had three goals and an 10-point night. Mike Robinson had three. Bomberry and Cody Jamieson had two each. Curtis Romanchych, Will MacLeod and Jason Knox had singles. 

The Rock host the Saskatchewan Rush this coming Friday. 

FireWolves sweep Wings

Following a 13-12 win last week, the Oshawa FireWolves completed a home-and-home sweep of the Philadelphia Wings on Friday, winning 11-6 at Tribute Communities Centre. 

The FireWolves were in complete control early, building a 7-1 halftime lead. Alex Simmons led the way with four goals. 19-year NLL veteran Ryan Benesch, signed by Oshawa this week, scored two goals and six points. Now with 1,388 career points, Benesch surpassed Rock legend Colin Doyle for fourth-place in career scoring. 

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Taggart Clark also scored twice with Ethan Walker, Dawson Theede and Tye Kurtz getting one each. Lukas Nielsen and Dalton Young led the Wings (3-11) with two goals each. Brennan O’Neill and Kyle Jackson rounded out their scoring. 

Now 4-10, FireWolves coach Glenn Clark is a lot happier with his team’s recent play particularly in the back end. 

“We’re looking for very specific things from our defence, and we got those throughout the game,” Clark said. “I thought we did a good job of delivering on our defensive expectations consistently.” 

Oshawa’s next game is at home against the Rochester Knighthawks on March 28. 

Elsewhere in the NLL

The Buffalo Bandits won their third straight, beating the Colorado Mammoth 13-10 at KeyBank Centre. As one would expect, Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne led the Bandits (7-6)  with four goals and five assists each. Jack Hannah had three goals for the Mammoth (9-5). 

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The Rush (11-3) became the first team to clinch a playoff spot with a 10-9 win over the San Diego Seals. Robert Church led Saskatchewan with three goals. Ben McIntosh had four goals for San Diego (6-7). 

The Calgary Roughnecks kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 13-9 win over the Ottawa Black Bears. Haiden Dickson scored four times for Calgary (4-9). Phil Caputo and Jeff Teat were among four Black Bears (8-6) with two goals. 

The Vancouver Warriors (10-4) grabbed sole possession of second place with a 14-7 win over the Georgia Swarm. Keegan Bal had four goals and nine points for Vancouver. Lyle Thompson scored twice for the Swarm (8-5). 

The Knighthawks (5-6) and Desert Dogs (4-7) played late Sunday. 

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