The Toronto Rock secured their seventh National Lacrosse League championship on Sunday, completing a two-game sweep of the Halifax Thunderbirds with a 12-7 victory at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
Goaltender Nick Rose, who joined the Rock in 2012, finally earned his first championship after years of playoff disappointments. He was outstanding in the second half, allowing just one goal while making 34 saves.
"Nothing like it, I can barely breathe," Rose said after the game. "I wanted to be here so bad. We did it and we're champions."
The championship capped a remarkable comeback season for Toronto, which missed the playoffs entirely in 2025. The turning point was the influx of rookies who brought fresh energy to the team. Five rookies scored in the clinching game before a sold-out crowd of 10,889.
"I'm so jealous of them, winning it in their first year," Rose added. "They re-energized this group and they're the reason we got this done."
Rookies Fuel Early Lead
The Rock's rookies struck quickly, with three scoring in the first quarter to give Toronto a 5-3 lead. Sam English opened the scoring on an end-to-end transition play. Owen Hiltz added the second, and Lucas Hucal, a mid-season replacement on a depleted defensive corps, scored his first NLL goal off a transition feed from Elijah Gash. Veterans Chris Boushy and Mark Matthews also scored in the period. Clarke Petterson scored twice and Randy Staats added a power-play goal for Halifax.
Halifax fought back in the second quarter, taking their first lead on Petterson's third goal and scores by Mike Robinson and Code Jamieson. But Toronto responded quickly, with Boushy's second goal from mid-range and tallies by Hugh Kelleher and Hiltz giving the Rock an 8-6 lead at halftime. Hiltz scored with two seconds left in the half.
Hiltz completed his hat trick in the third quarter. Brendan Bomberry scored for Halifax, which trailed 9-7 after three periods.
Rose, Rookies Seal the Victory
After a 20-minute stretch where Rose and Thunderbirds goaltender Warren Hill dominated, newly minted NLL rookie of the year CJ Kirst fired a long, low shot through Hill's legs to increase the lead. Kirst had four goals in Game 1. With 1:50 remaining, Boushy, acquired from Halifax in 2023, completed his hat trick with a diving effort from in front of the net. Latrell Harris added an empty-netter to seal the win.
"We worked so hard for so long," Boushy said. "Now we're bonded by blood, sweat and tears for the rest of our lives."
Before captain Dan Rogers received the NLL Cup, Sam English was named finals MVP. "The older guys lead us by example," English said. "They're the ones that keep us going. They make it fun in the locker-room."
The win was especially meaningful for veterans like Bill Hostrawser (with the team since 2014), Rogers, Latrell Harris, and coach Matt Sawyer, who had endured the Rock's post-season heartbreaks since 2017.
The seven championships tie the Rock with the Buffalo Bandits for the most in league history. The Thunderbirds, who had won five titles as the Rochester Knighthawks, were appearing in their first final since moving to Nova Scotia in 2019.
