Ottawa Black Bears fall short 16-13 against San Diego Seals
The Ottawa Black Bears lost 16-13 against the San Diego Seals on Nov. 29 at the Canadian Tire Centre, kicking off the Black Bears’ second season in the National Lacrosse League.
Seals faceoff man Trevor Baptiste dominated the draws throughout the game and helped his team control the pace of play in the first quarter.
Corey Smalls opened up the scoring, netting two of the first three goals of the game for the Seals. Heading into the second quarter, the score was 3-0 Seals.
At the start of the second quarter, the Seals ramped up their offence, scoring another three unanswered goals to pull away with a 6-0 lead. Black Bears’ goalie Zach Higgins pulled himself out of the goal for a shift after the fifth goal. He reclaimed the goal after backup goalie Tyler Carlson let in the sixth goal.
Head coach Dan MacRae talked about how the slow start for the Black Bears is something they need to fix going into their next game.
“The start, just coming out and not going down six, would be great. It felt like we were in second gear when they were in fourth,” said MacRae.
The faceoff after the sixth goal is where Black Bear Luc Magnan took matters into his own hands, fighting San Diego Seal Patrick Shoemay.
That fight brought the energy the Black Bears needed, which led to Ottawa scoring their first goal of the game, before scoring another two unanswered goals. The score going into halftime was 7-4 for the Seals.
The Black Bears looked to improve their roster after finishing ninth in the league standings with an 8-10 record last year. Heading into this season, the Black Bears did exactly that by picking up hometown hero Sam Firth, who had a great showing in the 2024 playoffs for the Albany FireWolves, scoring 15 points in just five games.
The Ottawa native grew up playing minor lacrosse for the Nepean Knights, one of two teams in Ottawa. During the summer months, Firth and his family host lacrosse camps for kids to learn the game from the best. It was a no-brainer for the Black Bears to try to acquire him.
In a blockbuster trade, the Black Bears sent goalie Cameron Dunkerley, defencemen Andrew Dalton and Dustyn Birkof, plus a future second-round pick, to acquire 33-year-old Rob Hellyer. Swapping youth for experience, Ottawa will be hoping that the 2020 NLL MVP finalist can contribute to performing at a high level this season.
The Black Bears looked like a different squad starting the second half. The offence was playing smart, but shots were not bouncing Ottawa’s way. The defence was staying solid, playing their wall-style defence. Both teams only ended up finding the net twice in the third quarter, sending the score to 9-6 for the Seals heading into the final quarter.
New addition Hellyer shone bright in the fourth quarter, scoring two goals and tallying an assist to add to his game total of seven points in his new Black Bears uniform.
Unfortunately, the Black Bears didn’t have enough time to bring the game back in their favour. Cutting the lead down to just one goal with 3:15 left to play, the Seals scored another goal and an empty netter to “Seal” the deal.
Forward Riley O’Connor had an impressive home opener. He led the Black Bears’ offence on the score sheet, scoring two of the four Black Bear goals in the first half. O’Connor finished the game with two goals and four assists.
“For every guy in this room, it is about wins and losses. It’s about the team. We’re a brotherhood, and it doesn’t really matter about personal success. It’s about the team,” said O’Connor after his home opener performance.
The Black Bears look to claim their first win of the season as they take on the Saskatchewan Rush in their next matchup on Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Post-secondary students looking to buy tickets can purchase them through the Student Den program for a discounted price. Tickets can also be purchased from Ticketmaster for $38.
