Warriors loose Winner-Take-All Game to the Halifax Thunderbirds, Eliminated from Playoffs

Just like that, the number one seeded Vancouver Warriors were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2026 National Lacrosse League playoffs by the number eight seeded Halifax Thunderbirds on April 24.

These two Canadian teams faced each other exactly two weeks prior, and it was the Warriors who came out on top. In this rematch, the Thunderbirds were victorious with a 10-7 comeback win.

The Warriors scored the first two of the game, and with under a minute left in the quarter, the Thunderbirds scored their first of the game.

It was an explosive second quarter for the Warriors who went on a five-score run, which included a Keegan Bal hat trick. They also kept the Thunderbirds off the scoresheet, which helped to secure them a 7-1 lead at halftime.

The Thunderbirds answered the Warriors in the third quarter, keeping them off the score sheet and going on a six-goal run of their own, all of which came in the span of six and half minutes and three of which were scored on the powerplay. With one quarter to go, the score was even at 7.

The Warriors were held off the scoresheet again in the fourth quarter, while the Thunderbirds added three more to their tally, scoring nine unanswered, for a final score of 10-7 in their favour.

With this loss, the Warriors were officially eliminated from the playoffs, and the Thunderbirds advanced to the semi-finals.

While this was a devastating blow to the Warriors who finished atop the NLL in the regular season standings, goaltender Christain Del Bianco kept the Warriors in the game till the end. Del Bianco faced 71 shots, stopping 61 of them, a 0.85 save percentage.

The Warriors season has officially come to a close, and the focus now turns to summer lacrosse before the 2026-27 NLL season.