The Albany FireWolves (1-2) defeated the Saskatchewan Rush (1-3), 10-5, at the MVP Arena in Albany, NY. on Saturday night. Albany jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and was able to fend off the Rush in a defensive clinic as the team took home their first victory of their inaugural season. Joe Nardella dominated at the faceoff dot while Doug Jamieson stood strong in goal, lifting the FireWolves to a thrilling win.
| SCORE BY QUARTER |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
FINAL |
| ALBANY |
3 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
10 |
| SASKATCHEWAN |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
Nardella and the FireWolves won the opening faceoff and quickly got on the board as Jackson Nishimura secured a rebound and put one in the back of the net just 12 seconds into the game. Still under a minute into the contest, Nardella won the second faceoff of the night that quickly led to a Joe Resetarits goal as the FireWolves jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Despite not being able to capitalize on a Rush penalty, Resetarits found Reilly O’Connor in a good position to net his second goal of the season, making the lead 3-0 heading into the first break of the game. After Albany was able to kill off a delay of game penalty, Adrian Sorichetti was quickly penalized again, giving the Rush another early man-up opportunity. Following another FireWolves penalty, this time for an illegal substitution, the Rush were able to take advantage as Dan Lintner beat Jamieson for the goal.
Nardella won yet another faceoff as Albany took first possession to start the second quarter. The FireWolves were once again called for a delay of game penalty, giving the Rush a man advantage early in the period. Despite being a man down, newly acquired, Ryan Benesch, found a break in transition and netted his first goal in a FireWolves uniform. Just seconds later, Mark Matthews answered, keeping the Albany lead at just two goals. Two minutes later, Robert Church beat Jamieson, cutting the FireWolves lead to 4-3. With just under five minutes to go in the second quarter, Saskatchewan’s Matt Beers was called for a five-minute major penalty for boarding Adam Bomberry. The FireWolves were unable to capitalize on the advantage, but still took a 4-3 lead into the half.
The FireWolves began the third quarter on a powerplay, but the penalty was killed as Beers was released from the penalty box early in the half. After a quiet start by both teams, the score remained 4-3 going to the first timeout of the third quarter. About halfway through the third quarter, Church scored his second of the night to knot the game at four goals apiece. Minutes later, the FireWolves get two back, one from Andrew Kew and one from Nardella to go back up by two goals. With just under four minutes to go in the quarter, Bomberry was called for a penalty, giving Saskatchewan their sixth power play chance thus far. This time, the Rush were able to capitalize as Church nets his hattrick goal, making the score 6-5. Jordi Jones-Smith of the Rush was called for a penalty with just over a minute to go in the quarter, giving the FireWolves a powerplay opportunity to run out the third period.
The Rush were able to fend off the Albany power play and return to full strength down 6-5 early in the fourth quarter. With just over 10 minutes to go, Benesch found an opening and netted his second goal of the night to increase the Albany lead. Coming out of a timeout, the FireWolves took advantage of a 2-on-1 transition as Colton Watkinson hit Resetarits who dove into the crease to extend the Albany lead to 8-5 with eight minute to go in the game. With three minutes to play, Saskatchewan was hit with two penalties to Albany’s one, giving the FireWolves their fourth power play chance of the night. Coming out of a timeout, Kew scored his second on the night on the open cage. After a delay of game penalty by the Rush, the FireWolves were awarded a penalty shot because it took place with less than two minutes to play in the game. Tanner Thomson beat Adam Shute in net, scoring another goal for Albany to double up Saskatchewan, 10-5. The score would hold and the FireWolves would secure the team’s first win as an organization.
The FireWolves will be back in action on Saturday, January 15 for a road matchup versus the Philadelphia Wings at noon.
Fans can secure their tickets for the next FireWolves home game now! For more information regarding tickets, visit www.AlbanyFireWolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-362-4900.
The Albany FireWolves 2021-22 Inaugural Season is presented by CDPHP.
About Albany FireWolves
The Albany FireWolves is the Capital Region’s very own Professional Box Lacrosse team, playing in the National Lacrosse League out of the MVP Arena in downtown Albany, NY. For more information, contact the Albany FireWolves Front Office at (518) 362-4900 or visit AlbanyFireWolves.com. Follow the team on Facebook at facebook.com/AlbFireWolves, Twitter @AlbFireWolves, and Instagram @AlbFireWolves.
About the National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is North America’s premier professional lacrosse league. Founded in 1986, the NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. The League is comprised of 15 franchises across the United States and Canada: Albany FireWolves, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, Las Vegas NLL, New York Riptide, Panther City Lacrosse Club (TX), Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock, and Vancouver Warriors.
For more information, visit NLL.com and find @NLL on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For more information visit NLL.com.
About ASM Global
ASM Global is the world’s leading venue management and services company. The company was formed by the combination of AEG Facilities and SMG, global leaders in venue and event strategy and management. The company’s elite venue network spans five continents, with a portfolio of more than 325 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention, and exhibition centers, and performing arts venues. From Aberdeen to Anchorage, and Sydney to Stockholm, its venues connect people through the unique power of live experiences. ASM Global’s diverse portfolio of clients benefit from the company’s depth of resources and unparalleled experience, expertise and creative problem solving. Each day, the company’s 61,000 passionate employees around the world deliver locally tailored solutions and cutting-edge technologies to deliver maximum results for venue owners and amazing experiences for guests. By consistently looking for new ways to envision, innovate and empower the spaces and places that bring people together, ASM Global elevates the human spirit while delivering the highest value for all stakeholders. For more information, please visit www.asmglobal.com.
About MVP Arena
MVP Arena is a full-service entertainment and sports facility featuring a wide variety of family shows, sporting events, trade shows and concerts. Owned by Albany County and managed by ASM Global, MVP Arena opened in 1990 and is home to the Albany FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League, the Albany Empire of the National Arena League and the Division I Men’s College Basketball Siena Saints. For more information, please visit www.mvparena.com.
About CDPHP®
Established in 1984, CDPHP is a physician-founded, member-focused and community-based not-for-profit health plan that offers high-quality affordable health insurance plans to members in 26 counties throughout New York. CDPHP is also on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram.
