What to watch for vs. Ottawa Black Bears

It’s the Battle of Ontario!

Hamilton, ON – The Toronto Rock (3-3) welcome the Ottawa Black Bears (4-4) into Rock City for a clash of two teams looking to push their record above the .500 mark.  Since the Black Bears relocated to Ottawa they are undefeated against the Rock, having won both meetings between the two Ontario based clubs last season.

Fans can watch the game vs. Ottawa at 7:00pm ET for FREE on NLL+.  Alternatively, fans can stream the game through TSN’s digital platform TSN+ via TSN.ca and the TSN App as well as ESPN+.  To stream the game on TSN+ or ESPN+, a paid subscription is required.

Here’s what to watch for in Saturday’s matchup.

• Following morning shoot around, the Rock placed Latrell Harris on the Active Roster from the Injured Reserve List. Harris last played on January 9^th San Diego and has missed the Rock’s last two games.  Moving to the Injured Reserve List is Rock super rookie Sam English with a lower body injury.
• Former Rock and current Black Bears forward Rob Hellyer will play his first game back in Hamilton as a member of the opposition. Last season, Hellyer did play against the Rock who were at home, but it was in Mississauga.  Hellyer is in the top 5 in all-time Rock goals (230 – 5^th), assists (374 – 5^th), and points (604 – 4^th). In two career games vs. the Rock, Hellyer has 3 goals and 9 assists for 12 points.
• CJ Kirst and Owen Hiltz will forever be linked as they were taken 1^st and 3^rd overall respectively in the same 2025 NLL Draft. So far, so good.  Both Kirst and Hiltz have scored at least one goal in every game they’ve played so far.  The future is bright in Rock City.
• Troy Holowchuk posted a .796 save percentage in last weekend’s 10-9 OT loss to Georgia. A close-to-.800 save percentage and 9 goals-against in regulation is a recipe for success on most nights in the NLL.  If Holowchuk can reach that level of consistency game-in and game-out, you can pour the cement when it comes to Holo establishing himself as a starting goaltender in the NLL.
• INJURY REPORT: TD Ierlan is on the PUP List. Zack Kearney is on the Season Ending Injured Reserve List. Sam English (Lower) and Nick Rose (Lower) are on the Injured Reserve List.
• The Rock will be home again next Saturday on Rockin’ Rodeo Night against the Oshawa FireWolves at 7pm.

Fans can check out a brand new episode of Rock City Unplugged featuring behind the scenes access and interviews with Rock players and staff that gives you a peek behind the curtain.

A new episode of the Toronto Rock Total Access Podcast also dropped featuring guest Nick Rose who provides an update on his injury status.  Join host Mike Hancock and co-host Challen Rogers each week.

For more information on Toronto Rock tickets, please contact a Toronto Rock account executive by phone at 905-426-4744, by email at tickets@torontorock.com or visit torontorock.com.