The Halifax Thunderbirds defeated the Ottawa Black Bears 13-11 on Friday by overcoming a three-goal halftime deficit. After being shut out in the second quarter, Halifax outscored Ottawa 10-5 in the final two periods to secure the victory.
The Thunderbirds (3-2) were led by Will MacLeod's offensive effort and a stellar performance in goal from Warren Hill who made 47 saves on 58 shots while recording an assist. MacLeod paced the team with a six-point effort, scoring four goals and adding two assists. Clarke Petterson also had two goals and three assists while Cody Jamieson scored a hat trick. Additional goal scorers for the Thunderbirds included Brendan Bomberry, who finished with a goal and two assists, along with Nonkon Thompson, Colton Armstrong and Tyson Bell, who scored a goal apiece. Jason Knox had three assists.
For the Black Bears (3-3), Reilly O'Connor delivered a game-high eight points on two goals and a game-high six assists in the loss. The Black Bears' offense saw contributions from multiple players, including Jeff Teat, who tallied two goals and two assists, and Connor Kearnan, who also scored twice while adding one assist. Jacob Dunbar chipped in with two goals. Rob Hellyer added one goal and three assists for a four-point night. Callum Jones and Nicholas Volkov scored a goal apiece. In goal, Zach Higgins made 17 saves and Tyler Carlson made three.
Ottawa outscored Halifax 5-0 in the second quarter to take a 6-3 lead into halftime. However, the Thunderbirds came back in the third quarter, scoring five goals to Ottawa's one to seize an 8-7 lead. Halifax continued its momentum in the final frame, outscoring the Black Bears 5-4 to close out the comeback win.
Up next: The Thunderbirds travel to the Oshawa FireWolves on Saturday, at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Black Bears travel to the Buffalo Bandits on Friday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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