The Albany FireWolves (5-7) were defeated by the Buffalo bandits (9-1), 12-11, in overtime at the MVP Arena in Albany, NY on Saturday evening. The game was back and forth all night as Albany tied it up late, but Buffalo had the final say, scoring in sudden death overtime. Full statistics from the game can be found here: https://albanyfirewolves.com/game/1533/.
| SCORE BY QUARTER |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4/OT |
FINAL |
| ALBANY |
4 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
11 |
| BUFFALO |
4 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
12 |
The Bandits took the game’s opening faceoff and wasted no time getting on the board as Chris Cloutier sunk his first shot while on a delayed penalty. Albany quickly got the goal back as they took advantage of a Buffalo delayed penalty as Joe Resetarits notched his first of the contest. Following a Buffalo holding penalty, Ryan Benesch added his name into the scoring column by bouncing one past Bandit goaltender, Matt Vinc. On the following possession, Jordan Durston snuck one into the net and after a long review, the goal stood as Albany took an early 3-1 lead. Buffalo got one back after an Albany turnover as Ian MacKay took the ball down the floor and scored in transition. On their next possession, Josh Byrne dove across the crease and buried a shot past Doug Jamieson, tying the game at three goals apiece. With just under five minutes to go in the quarter, Benesch buried his second, confirmed after another long review. Following the third long review of the opening period, Dhane Smith logged his first goal of the game. Albany was unable to score in the final seconds of the first quarter as the game remained tied 4-4 heading into the second.
With Albany’s first possession of the second quarter, Resetarits notched his second goal of the game to retake the lead. Just minutes later, the game was tied once again as Nick Weiss absorbed a big hit and beat Jamieson. Albany quickly regained the lead as Benesch completed his hat trick after a beautiful feed from Charlie Kitchen. After two penalties on Weiss, Albany had a man-up advantage for four minutes. It was Buffalo who scored first though, as Byrne dove across the crease to knot the game up at six. Following a sequence of nice passes, Kitchen added the seventh goal of the night for Albany, who still had two minutes remaining on the Buffalo minors. Following a FireWolves major penalty, Tehoka Nanticoke buried his first of the night and shortly after, Smith scored his second of the contest to give Buffalo an 8-7 lead.
The Bandits wasted no time adding onto their lead early in the third period as Nanticoke quickly netted his second of the night in less than a minute of action. After a long scoring drought by both sides, Resetarits was able to net his third of the night, snagging the ball out of the air off a rebound. Both offenses were cold all quarter as Buffalo kept their one-goal lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Following four scoreless minutes to open the final period, Kitchen scored his second of the night to tie the game up at nine apiece. Following an Albany penalty midway through the quarter, Smith completed his hat trick to regain the lead for the Bandits. The FireWolves quickly tied it back up as Benesch fired a missile from deep for his fourth goal of the night. With under four minutes to go, Connor Fields drilled his first goal of the contest as Buffalo went back on top by one. Resetarits buried his fourth on the night on a wild alley-oop in front of the net to tie the game at 11. Neither team was able to score at the end of the period, sending the game into overtime. The Bandits took the first possession of the extra period and quickly ended the game as Kyle Buchanan beat Jamieson and sealed a victory for Buffalo.
The FireWolves are back on the road for a rematch against the Halifax Thunderbirds on Friday, March 11. The game is at 7 p.m. at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax and can be watched on ESPN+ and My4 Albany. Albany won the previous matchup between the two teams, 8-6, in the Capital Region back in January.
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.
