OSHAWA, ON – Christmas has come and gone, the calendar turns to 2026, and the Oshawa FireWolves are back in action against their provincial rival in the Ottawa Black Bears. Oshawa is seeking their second win of the year while Ottawa looks to get above .500 for the first time since they played the FireWolves last season.
Faceoff is set for 7:00 PM ET from the Tribute Communities Centre and can be streamed on TSN+, ESPN+ and NLL+.
New Year, New Look
The FireWolves find themselves in the same position they were in a year ago. They were 1-3 in the their first four games, and found a way to string some wins together and they hope they can do the same thing this time around. The team made some roster changes in their last game as Corson Kealey made his FireWolves season debut while Patrick Kaschalk was moved up to the offence to generate some scoring. Oshawa is coming off a bye week where they rested up and are looing to explode against an Ottawa team that played a week ago.
Indigenous Heritage Night
With the Ottawa Black Bears travelling to Oshawa, the FireWolves will be hosting their Indigenous Heritage Night to honour and recognize the Creator’s Game and the roots of lacrosse. The FireWolves have several Indigenous players on their roster: goaltender Doug Jamieson, defender Blake McDonald, and forward Hawi Francis. The FireWolves will have educational videos, drum performances, a wooden stick game, and booths on the concourse to honour the Medicine Game.
Ottawa Offence
Part of the reason why Ottawa is 2-2 is because of their offence. Jeff Teat leads the way with 29 points while off-season acquisition Rob Hellyer is second in team scoring with 28 points. The rest of their offence has also been clicking and their transition game has helped them score and win games. The offence has been able to score in a lot of their games which has kept them in the hunt to secure wins and they’ll look to continue that in Oshawa.
FireWolves Players To Watch
Alex Simmons is the teams top scorer with six goals and 13 points. He has gotten off to a hot start and is looking to continue it against Ottawa.
Will Johansen ranks in the top five in the league in loose ball recoveries and caused turnovers and is looking to crack the top three on Saturday.
Ethan Walker has started to to find his scoring touch. Look to number 57 for some goal scoring against a weak Ottawa defence.
Doug Jamieson has been solid as possible with a goals against average of 7.99 and a save percentage of over 83. Jamieson is eager to secure his second win of the season.
Opposing Players To Watch
Jeff Teat has been one of the leagues top scorers since he entered the pro ranks and currently leads the league in points.
Hometown player Reilly O’Connor is having a solid start to the season and is finding his footing as a playmaker with Ottawa alongside Teat and should tally some points for the Black Bears.
Another hometown player suiting up for Ottawa this weekend will be Connor Kearnan who has six goals and 10 points on the year as is looking for more.
Courtice, ON native and Black Bears goaltender Zach Higgins is eager to play in front of his family and friends.
Visit www.oshawafirewolves.com for tickets and all team news.
About Oshawa FireWolves
The Oshawa FireWolves are Durham Region’s professional box lacrosse team, competing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) out of the Tribute Communities Centre in downtown Oshawa, ON. For more information, visit OshawaFireWolves.com. Follow the team on Facebook at facebook.com/FireWolvesNLL, Twitter @FireWolvesNLL, and Instagram @FireWolvesNLL.
About National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is North America’s largest professional lacrosse league and welcomed more than 1 million fans for the third consecutive year during the 2024-25 season. Founded in 1986, the NLL is comprised of 14 franchises across Canada and the United States, and recently unveiled its largest brand campaign ever, “Welcome to The Next Major League™” and introduced its comprehensive grassroots initiative, NLL UnBOXed™, that will expand the League’s footprint to 60 communities across North America by 2028. For the latest scores and developments in the National Lacrosse League, please visit: NLL.com and find the NLL on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok. Games are available live and streaming on TSN, TSN+, the ESPN family of networks, ESPN+, and NLL+.
About Tribute Communities Centre
The Tribute Communities Centre is Durham Region’s premier sports and live entertainment facility and is managed by Oak View Group. The Tribute Communities Centre is home to the Oshawa FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League, Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, and hosts a myriad of events including concerts, circuses, ice skating and family shows. Visit TributeCommunitiesCentre.com, and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
About Oak View Group
Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions for a collection of world-class owned venues and a client roster of arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. Founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, OVG is the leading developer of major new venues either open or under development across four continents. Visit OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
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