Halifax enters this thunderbirds game one win from the NLL Finals after taking a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 of a three-game semifinal against Georgia on Saturday night. A victory would send the Thunderbirds to their first league final since moving to the Maritimes, the furthest playoff run in the team’s current home.
Petterson’s playoff push
Clarke Petterson put the path in plain terms before puck drop, saying, “It’s the furthest we’ve gone as a team, so we’re pretty excited” and, “We are looking at keeping it going as well.” Halifax did not arrive here quietly. It slipped into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season with a win, then turned around and beat the Vancouver Warriors 10-7 on April 24 in the quarterfinal.
That Vancouver result came after a 7-1 halftime deficit, and Halifax answered with nine unanswered goals to pull out the comeback. Petterson, a forward who led the Thunderbirds with 90 points over 18 games in the regular season, has also been one of their main playoff finishers; he sits fourth in NLL playoff points with 14.
Georgia meets Halifax
The series setup gives Halifax a direct path to the league final if it finishes the job Saturday. If Georgia levels the matchup, Game 3 would be played in Halifax on Sunday, which is why Petterson said, “I don’t want our mindset to change where it’s like if we lose on Saturday, don’t worry about it, we have Sunday to close out the series as well.”
He said that approach cuts against the standard playoff safety net. “That’s the complete opposite of the mindset that we’ve been playing with all year, and that mindset is what’s been leading us to huge success in the second half.” The Thunderbirds’ run has already carried them past a Vancouver team many had picked to reach the final, and Petterson said that outside view fueled the group: “Everybody on the outside-looking-in kind of underestimated us.”
Halifax now has the chance to turn that run into a first final appearance since the franchise moved to the Maritimes. Georgia stands in the way on Saturday night, but the consequence is already clear for Halifax: win, and the series ends there.
