The Albany FireWolves (0-2) was defeated by the Rochester Knighthawks (2-1), 16-7, at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. on Saturday night. Despite Albany taking the lead first, Rochester commanded the game on both ends of the floor. Full statistics for the game can be found here: https://www.nll.com/game/1478/.
| SCORE BY QUARTER |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
FINAL |
| ALBANY |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
7 |
| ROCHESTER |
4 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
16 |
Joe Nardella of the FireWolves took the opening faceoff. Albany had an early penalty, giving the Knighthawks a man advantage just minutes into the first quarter. FireWolves goaltender, Doug Jamieson, remained strong during the power play and stuff all Rochester attempts. After returning to full strength, the FireWolves were able to capitalize on a transition with a goal from Tony Malcom to open the scoring. Just minutes later, the Knighthawks struck back to tie and again to take the lead 2-1 thanks to goals from Charlie Bertrand and Holden Cattoni.
After another FireWolves penalty, Rochester capitalized again, this time Ryan Smith found the back of the net to give the Knighthawks a 3-1 lead. Thomas Hoggarth quickly found the net again for Rochester, extending the lead midway through the first quarter. Andrew Kew then go the FireWolves back on track with a goal, assisted by Reilly O’Connor. The score held for the remaining minutes as the Knighthawks held onto a 4-2 lead after one quarter of play.
Rochester started the second quarter winning the faceoff and quickly scoring another goal, this time by Curtis Knight. Both teams were then penalized for five minutes each for fighting, leaving no team with a man up advantage. Shortly after, Cattoni found the top shelf, scoring the team’s sixth goal to the FireWolves’ two. Following a stick holding penalty on the Knighthawks, the FireWolves’ Adrian Sorichetti committed a major penalty and found his way to a packed penalty box. Midway through the second quarter, Turner Evans joined the scoring party for Rochester, making the game 7-2 in their favor. Shortly after the FireWolves returned to full strength, the Knighthawks scored again on a nice crease dive goal by Knight. The FireWolves found themselves with a man advantage after a penalty on the Knighthawks. On the power play, Jacob Ruest found the back of the net, getting a goal back for the FireWolves. After another set of penalties committed by both teams, Jackson Nishimura committed one for the FireWolves, giving Rochester another power play opportunity.
Albany won the faceoff to open the second half, but quickly turned the ball over. Less than two minutes into the new period, Shawn Evans netted one for Rochester to extend the lead to 9-3. Colton Watkinson was then penalized for holding, giving the Knighthawks yet another power play chance. The FireWolves were able to fend off the two minutes, but Doug Utting was able to score on a runout to give Rochester a 10-3 advantage. Joe Resetarits was able to net one for the FireWolves to narrow the gap down to six goals again with three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Less than a minute later, Bertrand scored again, this time a short-handed goal for the Knighthawks. Rochester took an 11-4 lead into the fourth quarter.
Cattoni completed the hat trick just 45 seconds into the fourth quarter to extend Rochester’s commanding lead. Less than two minutes later, Rochester scored again, forcing a FireWolves goalie change to Ethan Woods. After an extended delay for fighting on the floor, Jamieson reentered the game for the FireWolves as Joel Watson took over in net for Rochester. The Knighthawks had another power play chance, but the FireWolves struck with a short-handed goal by Nishimura. With just under nine minutes to play, Bertrand scored again for the Knighthawks. Following a brief scoring drought by both teams, Cattoni nailed his fourth of the game to give the Knighthawks a 10-goal lead. Resetarits was able to bring the lead back down to single digits, finding the top shelf with just over three minutes to go in the game. Smith quickly got the goal back, scoring at the other end to extend the lead to 16-6. Resetarits soon after scored his third of the game with just over a minute to go. The Knighthawks killed the remainder of the clock and secured a 16-7 victory on the road.
The FireWolves will be back in action on Saturday, January 8 for a home matchup versus the Saskatchewan Rush.
Do not miss your opportunity to witness history! Fans can secure their tickets for the historic inaugural 2021-22 FireWolves home opener today! For more information regarding home opener tickets, visit https://albanyfirewolves.com/tickets/2021-22-home-opener/ 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 Times Union Center 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 Times Union Center
Times Union Center 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, Times Union Center 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.timesunioncenter-albany.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.
