DULUTH, Ga. (March 25, 2022) – The Georgia Swarm (7-6) are currently riding a three-game winning streak and look to extend it on Saturday when they face the Toronto Rock (8-4) in Hamilton, ON at 5:00 P.M. ET.
The Rock currently hold the East Division third seed in the playoff hunt, while the Swarm sit closely behind in fourth place. Saturday’s game marks the first meeting between the two franchises this season. The last time the two teams played one another was during the 2019 season when the Swarm dominated the Rock 14-5 on Friday, March 22, 2019. Both teams were set to faceoff on April 11, 2020, but that game was canceled due to COVID-19.
Saturday’s tilt marks the 27th all-time meeting between Georgia and Toronto. The Swarm lead the series 14-12 and hold a slim 7-6 advantage over Toronto on the road. Although Georgia has been successful in Ontario in the past, the Rock have only taken one loss on their home turf this season (14-13 OT vs Halifax).
Georgia enters this weekend’s game coming off an electrifying comeback win over the Albany FireWolves. The Swarm were down 9-4 in the third quarter and rebounded to take home a 15-12 win. Georgia outscored Albany 11-4 in the second half, notching eight goals in the final frame. Lyle Thompson was quiet in the first half and then exploded in the second, recording three goals in the third quarter and two in the final. Craig Wende stepped in net during the second quarter and helped the team chip back into the lead and secure the win after making 22 saves. This marked the third-straight win for the Swarm, the longest streak of the season.
Toronto is also on a streak of their own, winning two-straight games, most recently routing the Vancouver Warriors, 14-5. The Rock’s backline only allowed two goals passed during the first quarter and then held the Warriors scoreless in the third frame. Rob Hellyer led the Rock in points (9) and goals (5), while goaltender Nick Rose stopped 32 Vancouver shots.
The Swarm lead the league in goals scored, netting 155 this season, averaging 11.92 goals per game. Thompson’s 39 goals lead the NLL, he is also fourth in the league in points (80), while teammate Shayne Jackson ranks fourth in NLL goals (30) and 11th in league points (61).
Ranked in-between Thompson and Jackson in NLL goals is Toronto’s Tom Schreiber (32), in third place. Other Rock members ranked on league charts are Rob Hellyer (57P), and Dan Craig (54P) who sit 18th and 20th in league points, respectfully.
The goaltending matchup this week is between Mike Poulin and Nick Rose. Poulin is second in the league in minutes played (708:49) and fifth in saves (419). Rose currently totals 383 saves after playing 12 games between the pipes. Rose posts a .783 save percentage while Poulin records a .748 save percentage.
The Swarm and Rock play each other back-to-back starting this Saturday in Toronto and again on to April 1 in Duluth, Ga. Georgia invites Toronto to town next week for College Night at 7:00 P.M. ET. In the final month of the regular season, the Swarm host the Rock (April 1), the Buffalo Bandits (April 16) and Philadelphia Wings (April 30) at Gas South Arena.
Milestones:
Jordan MacIntosh: Needs 12 faceoff wins to pass Stephen Hoar for 6th place in league history with 1,651
Bryan Cole: Is 12 points away from the 100th of his career
Lyle Thompson: Needs to play in three more games to reach the 100th of his career
- The Georgia Swarm came back from a 9-4 deficit in the third quarter to secure the series over the Albany FireWolves with a 15-12 win
- The Swarm held the FireWolves scoreless on power-plays, stopping their only two opportunities of the evening
- Georgia scored eight goals in the fourth quarter, courtesy of six different Swarm players
- After a quiet first half, Lyle Thompson recorded three goals in the third quarter and two in the final frame totaling nine points by the end of the evening
- Shayne Jackson and Jordan MacIntosh were tied for second on the team in points with four each; Jackson netted a hat trick and gave out one assist while MacIntosh scored a diving goal and gave out three assists
- Kason Tarbell helped on offense after registering three assists; other defenders who stepped up on attack were Bryan Cole (1G, 3A), Chad Tutton (1G), Jeff Henrick (1G), and TJ Comizio (1A)
- Craig Wende relieved Mike Poulin in the second quarter and helped the Swarm fight back and secure the win; Wende stopped 22 Albany shots and posted a .814 save percentage
- Georgia dominated Toronto 14-5 holding them to one goal in the second half
- The Swarm offense was 75.0 percent successful on power-plays (3-of-4) with one of the three goals being scored by Lyle Thompson
- Georgia’s aggressive defense held Toronto scoreless on four-of-five man-up opportunities
- Thompson and Shayne Jackson were second and third, respectfully, on the team in points as Thompson led the way with eight (1G, 7A) and Jackson recorded five (3G, 2A)
- Tom Schreiber and Brad Kri were the only Rock players to have a multi-point game as they both recorded two assists
- Mike Poulin defended the net after making 47 saves and ending the evening with a .903 save percentage; the starting goaltender stopped a high of 17 Rock shots in the fourth quarter
Swarm Spotlight
- Georgia is currently the highest scoring offense in the league totaling 155 goals this season; the squad averages 11.92 goals per game
- Georgia is tied for first in overall penalty killing record after stopping 35-of-52 (67.3 percent) opportunities; the backline is 67.7 effective on killing penalties on the road
- Lyle Thompson tops the league in goals (39) and shots (147) while ranking tied for first in shorthanded points (4) and fourth in points (80)
- Shayne Jackson moved up to fourth place in NLL goals (30) after notching three last week; Jackson ranks 11th in points with 61 (30G, 31A)
- Brendan Bomberry is tied for third in NLL power-play goals after notching seven throughout 13 games; Bomberry is third on the team in points (44) and goals (20)
- Mike Poulin ranks second in NLL goaltender minutes played after logging 708:49; Poulin is ranked fourth in league saves (419) and posts a .748 save percentage and an 11.94 goals against average
- Craig Wende played two and a half quarters in net last week and now totals 53 saves, one win, a .803 save percentage, and a 9.44 goals against average this season
- Ethan Walker ranks fifth in NLL rookie assists after giving out 22 this season; Walker also ranks seventh in points (30) and fifth in shots (66)
- TJ Comizio ranks 18th in NLL rookie points, totaling 11 (3G, 8A); Comizio is the newcomer’s leader in shooting percentage after landing 3-of-8 shots (37.5 percent) between the pipes and is fourth in faceoff wins (22)
- Among NLL defenders, Bryan Cole ranks fifth in points (23), fourth in goals (9), fifth in assists (14), tied for second in power-play goals (2), and tied for fourth in power-play points (3)
- Georgia sees three players rank top-20 in defenseman points in Cole (5th; 9G, 14A), Adam Wiedemann (13th; 2G, 10A) and Comizio (15th; 3G, 8A)
Eyes on the Rock
- Toronto is the fourth-highest scoring offense in the East Division, netting 138 shots this season; the Rock averages 11.50 goals per game
- The Rock have been in the driver’s seat when playing at home this season, going 5-1 in FirstOntario Centre
- Toronto ranks fourth in overall power-play record (24-for-50; 48.0 percent) and overall penalty killing record (25-for-43, 58.1 percent)
- Tom Schreiber ranks third in NLL goals, totaling 32; Schreiber also ranks second in power-play goals (9) and 21st in points (52)
- Rob Hellyer leads the Rock in points (57) and ranks 18th overall in the NLL: Hellyer sits second in league shots on goal, landing 101 shots on net
- Dan Craig sits second across the Rock leaderboard in points (54), goals (19), and assists (35); Craig sits 20th in league points
- Nick Rose ranks fourth among NLL goaltenders, collecting 383 saves, eight wins, a .783 save percentage and a 9.72 goals against average
- TD Ierlan ranks first among rookies and seventh overall in the league in faceoff wins, clamping 150; Ierlan has won 150-of-254 opportunities, posting a 59.1 winning percentage
- Among defenders, Challen Rogers ranks third in points with 30 (12G, 18A), third in goals (12), fourth in assists (18), second in power-play assists (4), second in power-play points (5), fourth in shots (36) and, fourth shots on goal (34)
- ESPN+ – Use your ESPN+ account (or create a new one) to watch the game live Saturday, March 26, 2022, at 5:00 PM ET and all season long
- Peachtree TV – The Georgia vs. Toronto game will air LIVE on Saturday, March 26 at 5:00 PM ET
- TSN2 – The Swarm vs. Rock game is the Game of the Week on TSN2 in Canada
- Watch live in person at six Gwinnett County Taco Mac locations: Buford, Cumming, Duluth, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville & Suwanee
