NLL’s Riptide wants to win before relocating to Ottawa next season
Kiel Matisz, who plays for New York and Peterborough, hasn’t decided whether he’ll be rejoining the Century 21 Lakers this summer
Kiel Matisz and the New York Riptide want to leave Long Island with something to remember them by — a championship.
That’s because next season, the National Lacrosse League (NLL) club will relocate to Ottawa.
The Riptide were an expansion team that began playing in 2019.
With Nassau Coliseum slated for demolition at the conclusion of this season, the team was forced to consider its options, and Ottawa was a unique opportunity.
The team will become known as the Ottawa Black Bears and will play at Canadian Tire Centre, home of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.
GF Sports & Entertainment will maintain ownership and operation of the franchise, but it will sustain a strong working relationship with Senators Sports & Entertainment to help drive the team’s success in the Ottawa-Gatineau market.
While sentiment has been largely positive around lacrosse circles, especially in Ottawa where the sport is becoming a hotbed, it is bittersweet for the club and its members. The Riptide are having their best season yet, poised to make a push in the playoffs for the first time.
“We want to do something special for our last run in New York,” said Matisz, a forward for the Riptide. “I’ve enjoyed my time in New York; I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that. The fans have been great — we’re seeing an uptick in fans with the team having more success this year. We have one goal, to end the year in New York as a positive one. Everyone has the mindset of winning a championship in New York.”
As of Week 15 on the NLL slate, the Riptide occupy the eighth and final playoff spot with a record of 6-8 and four games remaining.
The NLL did away with their divisions this season in favour of a unified standings model, and the result has been the closest playoff race in memory. Even the last-place Vancouver Warriors, at 3-9, haven’t been mathematically eliminated with just six weeks to go.
The Riptide are on pace to have their best finish in their short history and, as far as Matisz is concerned, are a lock to make the postseason.
“We’re feeling positive coming off another win,” he said, referring to their recent 13-11 victory over Las Vegas.
“We’re playing playoff lacrosse now. We’re right there in the mix. This team has a lot of positives at every position. We’re playoff bound and we have the belief in our room to make a big push.”
Matisz hasn’t decided whether he’ll be rejoining the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers this summer in their bid to recapture the Mann Cup.
His wife, Ashley, just gave birth to their third child, born Feb. 24, and he’s enjoying spending time with his family of five. Their oldest child, son Kade, is only five.
“I’m pumped about (the new baby), everything is going smoothly and my wife is doing great,” he said.
The newest arrival also meant that Matisz missed the Riptide’s recent game in Laval, part of the NLL’s UnBOXed Series.
“I was on baby watch/house arrest, supporting the family,” Matisz chuckled. “I didn’t get to experience Montreal so I was a bit jealous of my teammates.”
But that meant he got to watch the game on TV as a fan, and he was impressed. He felt like the crowd foreshadowed what it will be like next season at a Black Bears game.
“Obviously, it’ll be different arenas, but it’s similar marketplaces, although people in the hockey world might be pretty peeved at me comparing (Ottawa and Montreal),” he smiled. “I do believe that a lot of the same lacrosse fans will make the commute to support us. Without putting my GM hat on too much, it’s going to make our team a little bit more marketable for unrestricted free agents. For most players, it’ll be better logistically to get to Ottawa.”