Thunderbirds look to advance to NLL Finals: ‘Everybody underestimated us’
Posted May 8, 2026 10:52:04 AM.
Last Updated May 8, 2026 07:06:26 PM.
The Scotiabank Centre will be rocking as the Halifax Thunderbirds look to punch their ticket to the team’s first league final since moving to the Maritimes.
Lacrosse fans are getting excited as the Thunderbirds take on Georgia Saturday night in the second game of a three-game Semifinal. Halifax is already up one game on the Swarm, so a win would ensure the Thunderbirds a spot in the NLL Finals.
“It’s the furthest we’ve gone as a team, so we’re pretty excited,” says forward Clarke Petterson, who is in his sixth season with Halifax. “We are looking at keeping it going as well.”
It has been an inspiring underdog story for Halifax, which slipped into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season with a win, before stealing the first playoff round in a storied comeback win against the Vancouver Warriors.
In that April 24 quarterfinal, Halifax defeated the top-seeded Warriors 10-7 after trailing 7-1 at halftime, scoring nine unanswered goals.
“Everybody on the outside-looking-in kind of underestimated us,” says Petterson. “There were a lot of lacrosse experts or reporters that had Vancouver pencilled in as the NLL champions and (had them) straight to the Finals (but) we kind of saw that, and it got us motivated.”
Petterson says that motivation will continue as the Thunderbirds head into Saturday’s matchup, treating it as a must-win, even though if they do lose, there will be a game three here in Halifax on Sunday.
“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,” says Petterson. “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.”
Petterson will play a key role in this weekend’s game, as he has for the Thunderbirds all year.
Currently, fourth in NLL playoff points with 14, Petterson was also the team’s leader during the regular season with 90 points over 18 games.
