DULUTH, GA (May 4, 2026) — The Georgia Swarm opened Game 1 of the semi-finals at Gas South Arena against the Halifax Thunderbirds on Saturday night, but fell short 12-7 with the series flipping to Halifax for Game 2 and a potential Game 3.
Shayne Jackson hit four points on the night, along with Lyle Thompson, who hit three as the Swarm opened the second round of the playoffs at home.
Getting to the action, The Swarm came out ahead with the lead early, thanks to Richie Connell getting Georgia on the board just a minute and 20 seconds in. It was a pivotal point in the early part of the game as neither team seemed to find much traction on offense through the opening quarter. Georgia’s lead held up deep into the frame until Halifax tied it up at the five-minute mark and put the pressure back on the Swarm to respond.
However, to the rescue, Mike Manley answered the call and got one right back for the Swarm a minute later by finishing off a pass right in front of the crease to beat Warren Hill. Georgia took a 2-1 lead into the break, with still a lot of game ahead, but the opening quarter gave them a strong position to battle from.
Jordan MacIntosh kicked off the second quarter with a goal 16 seconds in by driving down the boards and jumping through the crease to beat Hill farside and give the Swarm a 3-1 lead. But Georgia did not stop there. Lyle Thompson added another one thirty seconds later by ripping one past Hill’s farside, this time fighting through traffic to pick his spot. Georgia was up 4-1 and seemed to be running away with the game, but four consecutive goals at the end of the half made it a whole different ballgame, with Halifax up 5-4 at halftime.
Things did not get better in the third as the Thunderbirds opened the stanza with another goal to increase their lead to two. Richie Connell got one back 40 seconds to end the Halifax run, but there was still work to do for the Swarm. The game slowed dramatically after the two opening goals, as neither team found the back of the net until the six-minute mark, when Halifax broke the goal drought. Unfortunately, it was the start of a three-goal run that extended their lead to 9-5 late in the third.
Georgia did not go away quietly, though. Kaleb Benedict scored with four seconds left in the quarter, and Shayne Jackson followed with the first goal in the fourth with nine to go. The lead was down to two and within reach with lots of time left. However, Halifax responded with two goals in the next two minutes, pushing the game out of reach. The Thunderbirds put the final nail in the coffin with less than two minutes to finish off the game.
Brett Dobson recorded 53 saves in net for Georgia, while Warren Hill stopped 35 shots for Halifax.
Both Georgia and Halifax went 1-for-3 on the power play.
Lyle Thompson: tallied three points (1G-2A) to make his playoff total 13 points (5G-8A).
Shayne Jackson: picked up four points (1G-3A) to add to his playoff total of nine points (4G-5A).
Kaleb Benedict: added one goal to make his playoff total seven points (3G-4A).
Georgia will head to Halifax for Games 2 & 3 scheduled for Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, with both matchups getting underway at 6 PM ET.
