Omran Wahidy
It happened quick for Carter Cook.
“Just got that rebound right in my stick, so I just took off running.”
For the Calgary Roughnecks rookie defender, the play that led to his first-career NLL goal in Week 17 started simple – and turned into a moment he’ll never forget.
First @NLL goal ✅ pic.twitter.com/7d37ZB2USj
— Calgary Roughnecks (@NLLRoughnecks) March 22, 2026
Making it even more memorable, the milestone came against his brother Conner Cook and the Colorado Mammoth, with both of their parents in attendance to see the goal.
“I saw Griff (Griffin Hall) with me and then I was looking to see what Griff was going to do, so I was going to pass it to him, but I saw he went for the seal,” Cook said. “As soon as I saw he was going for that seal, I thought I better just take it under and went for a little crease dive and found a little area in the corner there.
“So not a bad first one. I was pretty happy with it.”
The initial excitement quickly turned into a moment of hesitation, just to be sure it counted.
“I was pretty fired up, just getting that first one out of the way, but then I had to make sure it was a goal,” he said. “Double checked that it was a goal, and then celebrated with the guys … I was waiting to see if that challenge flag was coming out, but I’m glad it came out late.”
With his parents watching from the stands, the family dynamic added another layer to an already special night.
“It was the first time we’ve ever played against each other, so it was a really cool experience,” Cook said. “I think my dad was rocking the Mammoth jersey and my mom had the Calgary jersey on, and I know when I first scored, my dad started celebrating and he got a lot of weird looks from the crowd wearing the Colorado jersey.”
Beyond the milestone, the sibling rivalry brought its own energy to the matchup.
“We’re both pretty competitive,” Cook said. “We were both talking up our team and we both wanted to win that game badly. We talked a little before about maybe dropping the gloves too, and going at it. Our mom didn’t like that. Our dad gave a little nod.”
Back in the locker-room, Cook’s first goal was shared by the entire group. As the youngest player on the roster, he’s embraced his role while learning from a veteran core.
“Really great leaders, great vets in the room,” he said. “I just try to do my part and give it my everything. But these guys were really pumped for me … even at the end of the game, the coaches, the equipment manager and Pacer (Tyler Pace) gave me a little shout out.”
With the regular season winding down, the focus has already shifted to what’s ahead.
“It’s going to just be making every game count now,” Cook said. “You can’t look too far ahead, but we’ve got to go to Vegas now, get this win and then just keep rolling. Every moment matters now.”
And with a rematch against Colorado set for April 18 at the Rough House, there’s already another family gathering on the horizon.
“I’m sure there’s going to be a big crowd coming up from Lethbridge, too,” Cook said. “It’s going to be a little family reunion. It’s going to be awesome.”
