Mid-Point of ALL Season and Steelhawks Above .500

(Photo courtesy of Jay Saucier)

The Whitby Steelhawks reached the halfway mark of their 2025-26 Arena Lacrosse League regular season. After a tough start that included consecutive 14-13 losses, one in overtime, they have now reeled off three straight wins and possess a 4-3 record. They are one of three teams tied with identical records; only the defending champion, Brampton Express at 5-1, are ahead in first overall (Brampton’s Sunday afternoon game was postponed due to heavy snow in Southern Ontario).

The Steelhawks were the visitors on Saturday afternoon with the Oshawa Outlaws hosting at Children’s Arena. It was Owen Orpana who struck first for the Steelhawks with his first of four of the game earning him first star honours. The Outlaws would go on to win the opening quarter by a score of 3-2 including one by Ryan Haigh with just 0.7 seconds on the scoreboard.

It would be more of the same for Oshawa who looked hungrier in the early part of the game. They stretched their lead to 6-2 with three unanswered and only five minutes off the clock in that second quarter. The talk on the Whitby bench was positive as coaches Ryan Degerdon and Brad Reed challenged their players to be better and work harder. It would be the veterans including Liam Osborne and Devin Pipher who would drag their team back into the contest. Osborne countered with a pair of his own late in the first half and at the buzzer the Steelhawks were only one back. Osborne’s goal to make it 6-5 was one of his patented dives from behind the net that beat Outlaws netminder Jackson Brown who couldn’t stretch quick enough to make the save.

The third quarter started well for Whitby as Osborne continued his offensive onslaught early. It was a low-scoring 15 minutes of lacrosse with the Steelhawks coming out on top 3-1 and a tight 8-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Nate Woods got Whitby on the board with a mere nine seconds off the clock in the 4th and under a minute later, Whitby scored again to open the gap to 10-7, a lead they would not relinquish down the stretch. The Outlaws got a trio of goals in that period, but the Steelhawks replied every time Oshawa appeared to close the gap. With 8:42 showing on the clock the Outlaws took their second major of the game when Aiden Saint was sent to the box for checking from behind. Parker Pipher with the power play goal increased the lead to five and it ended 15-10 for the Steelhawks. Orpana bookended the scoring as he nailed the last goal of the game with 2:46 on the clock.

Goaltending was solid for both sides with the keepers making timely saves for their teams. Ethan Harwood in the Steelhawks cage was named the second star of the game and Brown earned third star honours.

“We got off to slow start and the defense was a little shaky tonight. I challenged them to play better and smarter and I was proud of them for shutting them down the rest of the game, allowing only four goals in the second half,” said assistant and defensive coach, Brad Reed.

“The message for the second half of the season is to keep building on what we have achieved and not let teams take advantage of the power play. When we are five on five, we think we are as good as any team in the league,” added Reed.

The Steelhawks welcome the Six Nations Snipers to Children’s Arena on Saturday January 31, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. These teams last met at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena on January 11, 2026 where Whitby came out with a 14-10 victory to start this current three-game win streak.