Published Apr 13, 2025 • 1 minute readHalifax Thunderbirds forward Randy Staats is hauled down in front of Buffalo Bandits goalie Matt Vinc during National Lacrosse League action Saturday night at Keybank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. – NATIONAL LACROSSE LEAGUE Where the Halifax Thunderbirds play their one-game quarter-final will come down to their final game of the regular season. The Thunderbirds had a chance to clinch a home playoff date Saturday night but dropped a 15-12 decision to the National Lacrosse League-best Buffalo Bandits at KeyBank Center. The Thunderbirds (10-7), who sit in a three-way tie for third place with the Vancouver Warriors and Rochester Knighthawks, will visit the Toronto Rock (5-11) on Friday night. A victory would guarantee Halifax a home playoff date, its first since the Thunderbirds franchise relocated from Rochester, N.Y., six years ago. The top eight teams at season’s end make the playoffs with the top four hosting the one-game quarter-final series. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentOn Saturday, Clarke Petterson scored his third goal of the game on the power play at 11:36 of the fourth quarter to give Halifax its first lead of the night at 11-10. But the defending NLL champion Bandits (13-4) scored five of the next six goals in the quarter, including the final three in less than three minutes to pull away. Thunderbirds captain Cody Jamieson tied the score at 12-all at the 9:45 mark for his 1,000th point in his illustrious career. He became the 17th player and first Indigenous player in NLL history to accomplish the feat. Randy Staats paced the Thunderbirds in scoring with four goals and nine points. Petterson collected seven points. League leading scorer Dhane Smith had a goal and 10 assists for the Bandits. Smith tops the NLL with 129 points, three more than teammate Josh Byrne, who had eight points in the game. Article content
Thunderbirds home playoff date hangs in the balance
