Halifax Heat & Holiday Hiatus
Hey. I'm Parker Bacher, and this is Crease Monsters, the podcast where we talk all things lacrosse. Epic highlights, gear reviews, game predictions, and, of course, some special guests. Whether you're stringing up a new pocket, gearing up for game day, or just chilling, this is your go to spot for all lacrosse things. And if you haven't already, hit that follow button wherever you're listening, and let's get into it.
Parker Bottcher:We've got a packed episode today. NLL stats, some incredible performances, and special thank you I need to give out, and some news about the show heading into the holidays. Okay. So last week, I made a prediction. Halifax versus Buffalo in Banditland.
Parker Bottcher:Guess what? Halifax wins it in overtime. Clark Pedersen, absolute hero, completes the hat trick in OT. Winner, over 17,000 fans in KeyBank Centre watching the three time defending champs get knocked off. And here's the thing about Halifax.
Parker Bottcher:This wasn't a fluke. We're nil in that 45 saves on 53 shots. That's after he put up 49 saves. The week before against Oshawa, Dawson Seed had a hat trick. Randy Stats dished six assists.
Parker Bottcher:Ryan Turfanko, six assists. This team is absolutely stacked and they're playing like it. Now Buffalo, they didn't go down easy. Dane Smith opened the game with two goals in the first two minutes. Then six seconds, the man is a machine.
Parker Bottcher:Smith finished with three goals for assists. Josh Byrne added three and and three, and Matt Vince made 31 saves. But Halifax, they don't just quit. They were down seven-four in the third, rattled off by the three straight to tie and Burn tied it to force OT. Pedersen said, nah, I'm ending this.
Parker Bottcher:Mark my words, we might be looking at an NLL finals prediction here. Halifax is two and o, and they're real. Alright. I gotta take a second here for a personal moment. So Vancouver Warriors had their home game and, like, after the game, like, in the dressing room, hanging out with the team, celebrating the win.
Parker Bottcher:I wasn't gonna lie. It was one of the coolest moments, experiences of my life. These guys just worked so hard to see them in that moment celebrating together, the energy in that room reminded me of why I love this sport so much. Massive thank you to the Vancouver Warriors Association for making that happen. Seriously.
Parker Bottcher:Incredible. But here's where it's getting better. So I'm walking out, right? I run into Tyrell Henry Jackson, and we talked with him on episode 10. If you wanna get to know a little bit about him, go over to that one.
Parker Bottcher:Then Chase Fraser from the Desert Dogs. Now if you've been listening to the show, you know how huge of a Chase fan I am. Like, huge and Tyrell, huge fan too. The guy is a face off specialist, co owns loading lacrosse, releasing the Tonka ahead. If you haven't checked it out, go to that loading lax.
Parker Bottcher:It's on preorder, and he's one of the most genuine people in the sport. And Chase Fraser is a three time NLL champion sponsored by Loading Lacrosse. Come on. Three time NLL champion with Buffalo. He just signed with his hometown team, Langley Thunder in the WLA.
Parker Bottcher:I'm so pumped to see him play in that game. He didn't end up playing. I was super bummed, but honestly, getting to meet him in person was even better. So, yeah, pretty unreal night. Okay.
Parker Bottcher:So let's talk about what's happening in the Vancouver last game, home game. Because Keke Moll and Adam Charlend Beatty's put up a show. In week three, over in week three, over Vegas, these combined for 16 points. Ball had four assists, four goals, four assists. Charlem Beades had matched him.
Parker Bottcher:Four goals, four assists. That that's your entire offense in those two guys. And here's what I love about that duo. Ball's the shooter. The guy can rip it from anywhere.
Parker Bottcher:He's one of the top goal scorers in the league, and offenders know it. So they have to respect every single shot, every time he touches the ball. Charlem Beatty is more of a playmaker. He sees the floor differently. He'll find the open space, the open man.
Parker Bottcher:He'll create space. When the defense cheat toward ball, boom. Charlotte Beatty is right there to Catboy. They complete each other with they complete compete each other perfectly. And with Christian Del Bianco in net making 44 saves, Vancouver is looking dangerous.
Parker Bottcher:They bounced back from that week one loss to Colorado and just handed Vegas fifteen and nine win. And they handed Vegas fifteen and nine lose. L. Then yesterday, they closed out the pre season holiday with a eight six win over Oshawa. Warriors are two and one and a rolling.
Parker Bottcher:Now you gotta get credit where the credit's due. Even though Vegas lost that game, Tyrell Hammerjacks dominated the faceoffs. I'm talking controlled x all night. And look, I told you, I'm a huge Hammer fan, but watching him at work is just art. The guy's technique is so clean.
Parker Bottcher:His hands are so fast. Everything he battles for, everything. Vegas is still finding their rhythm with all their new pieces. Mitch Jones, Chris Klute, Tony Malcolm, Chase Fraser. But when that offense clicks, watch out.
Parker Bottcher:Alright. Let's run through the rest of the league because there's been some wild stuff happening. The standings. Halifax leads at two note plus with a 10 goal differential, best defense in the league right now. Rochester one note after absolutely demolishing San Diego fifteen-seven under their first game under Spension Nation ownership statement win.
Parker Bottcher:Philadelphia is one-zero after edging Colorado eight-seven. Vancouver is two-one and looking good. Oshawa is one-three now. A young team, they're figuring it out. Vegas is o and one, and Calgary is still searching at oh, o and two.
Parker Bottcher:Player performance that made me lose my mind. Jeff T for Ottawa. This guy is a new was a new killer against Saskatchewan. Four goals, five assists. Here's the crazy stat.
Parker Bottcher:Jeff Tiete now is the fastest player to reach 500 career points in 72 games. That's it. The man is built different. Connor Fields opening Ross Rochester Connor Fields opened Rochester's season with four goals and two assists. The 2025 MCP, just picking off where he left off.
Parker Bottcher:Thomas Makovy. Same game, four goals, five goals against Rochester's offense. Terrifying. Ryan Lansbury added two goals and seven assists. Ryan Smith had a hatcher and four helpers.
Parker Bottcher:San Diego got cooked. Although I will say Pat Klavanaugh has had two goals and four assists in his first and his second ever NLL game. They are gonna be special, and Trevor Baptiste still winning face offs at that 85. That's just unfair. Oh, I can't forget this guy.
Parker Bottcher:Robert Church for Saskatchewan. He hit his nine hundredth point, career point, only only only the twenty third player in the league to do that, legend. Toronto's comeback win. The Rock were down eight six going to the fourth against Calgary. Then Mark Matthews, Chris Bluchet, Owen Hilt, and Joss Darwicke, each scored in a span of three and a half minutes.
Parker Bottcher:Bushery completed the hat trick with two zero six left for the game winner. Toronto wins it ten eleven. The cruise the cruise connection between Bushey and Hilts is real. These guys play together at Syracuse. They know just where to be when each other are going.
Parker Bottcher:Calgary are now twin two and definitely feeling some pressure. Georgia's defense masterclass, Brad Dobson, made 51 saves against Oshawa. Georgia wins nine five. They're starting to look like the good team everyone expected them to be. Few more things before we wrap up.
Parker Bottcher:PLL season off season mode, but the player movement window is open. Roster's decisions happening will now shade of twenty twenty six championship series. Keep an eye on that one. And the college side is scheduled to release soon. Albany scare Albany Syracuse, Rutgers dropping their twenty twenty six schedules with some heavy matchups.
Parker Bottcher:We will be having some we will have more on that when it comes back. Speaking when the show comes back, I've got some news. First off, happy holidays to everyone who's listening. Whether you're celebrating Christmas or just enjoying some time with the family, I hope you to get I hope you get to relax, throw the ball around if you can, soak it all in, but the podcast is going on a holiday break. Here's the thing, my break is gonna be a little longer than Urgently Gland.
Parker Bottcher:As you guys know, I broke my cauliflower a few weeks ago. Stupid fall wasn't even planned, just one of those freak things. It's honestly frustrating. Being on the sidelines is not being able to play is tough. But good news, everything is healing up quick and I'm going in the right direction.
Parker Bottcher:Focus is right now is to get back on the lacrosse field, and I want to be ready for the end of the season tournaments. Playing at Sandstorm is the goal. Everything. And I mean, is going to do that. So the podcast is gonna take a bit pause for a while while I focus on recovering and get back on field.
Parker Bottcher:I will still be posting on Instagram and YouTube Crease Monsters, So make sure you're following there to stay connected. But when I'm back to full strength, life is gonna be back to post normal injury. We'll be back. We'll be breaking down the NLL talking gear, geeking out about the lacrosse together. Thank you.
Parker Bottcher:Seriously, everybody's been listening, sharing, saying, and supporting the show. This community means everything to me. Shout out to Vancouver Warriors for that incredible experience. Shout out to Tyrell Homer Jackson, Chase Fraser for being so cool. And shout out to all you guys rocking with the Crease Monsters.
Parker Bottcher:Enjoy your holiday. Your hug your family. Eat too much food. Hope you get a new stick or some gear under the tree. Next time, stay dangerous, stay hungry, and remember, the best players are the ones that never fall.
Parker Bottcher:They're the ones that get back up every single time. I'll see you when I'm back.
Parker Bottcher:Alright. That's it for this episode of Crease Monsters. Thanks for hanging out. If you liked the episode, hit the follow so you don't miss what's coming next. You can catch us on Instagram and YouTube.
Parker Bottcher:Just search freeze monsters. Until next time, share it, save it, string it up.
Parker Bottcher:We're just getting started.
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