Two Late Toronto Goals Lift Rock to a 10-9 Victory

The Albany FireWolves (0-1) was defeated by the Toronto Rock (1-0), 10-9, at the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, ON. on Saturday night.  The game was back and forth before Toronto was able to find the net twice late in the fourth quarter to take the lead and hold on for the victory. Full statistics for the game can be found here: https://www.nll.com/game/1464/

Albany began with the ball after Joe Nardella won the opening faceoff.  After trading shots, Jacob Ruest saved what would have been a breakaway opportunity, but committed a penalty.  After a Curtis Conley penalty, the Rock were able to capitalize on the advantage as Rob Hellyer nets one to give the Rock and early 1-0 lead.  The FireWolves were able to kill off the second penalty and score a goal by Tony Malcom to tie the game at 1.  Greg Downing was credited for the assist on the FireWolves goal.

After another penalty by Albany, this time by Adrian Sorichetti, the Rock were able to regain the lead with another powerplay goal, this time by Tom Schreiber.  Following a timeout, Watkinson nearly scored on a breakaway, but his shot was saved by Nick Rose.  Watkinson was checked from behind on the play, giving the FireWolves their first powerplay opportunity of the night.  Albany was able to capitalize on the man-up advantage with a goal by Andrew Kew, assisted by Joe Resetarits.

With just over four minutes remaining in the opening quarter, John LaFontaine was able to convert on a breakaway goal to give the FireWolves their first lead of the night, assisted by Jackson Nishimura.  Following another illegal substitution on Albany, Toronto had their fourth power play opportunity of the quarter.  The Rock were able to tie the game at three on another Schreiber goal.  With seconds remaining in the quarter, Kew found rookie, Charlie Kitchen, who netted the first goal of his professional career to give the FireWolves a 4-3 lead.

After trading missed shots to start the second quarter, the FireWolves were penalized yet again, giving the Rock another power play opportunity.  With the man-up advantage, Reid Reinholdt was able to break free down the floor and score on an open opportunity to tie the game at four.  After minutes of a scoring drought by both teams, the Rock challenged what was called a crease violation, but failed to win it, costing them their first timeout of the half with just over seven minutes to go.  The scoring drought continued all the way until Kew netted his second goal of the night with just under three minutes to go in the first half.  Wasting no time, Schreiber found the back of the net for his third goal of the half, tying the game again at five.  With seconds left in the half, Dan Craig beats FireWolves goaltender, Doug Jamieson, to give Toronto a 6-5 leading heading into halftime.

Nardella won the first faceoff of the second half as he continued to dominate the stripe.  The Rock quickly added to their lead as Reinholdt netted his second goal of the night to put Toronto up 7-5 early in the quarter.  The Rock thought they scored their fourth unanswered goal, but a successful FireWolves challenge of a crease violation overturned the call.  After Toronto was able to fend off a FireWolves power play, Jordan Durston was able to find Reilly O’Connor on a backdoor cut to the net for the Albany goal -to cut the deficit to one.  The score would go unchanged as Toronto took a 7-6 lead into the fourth quarter.

Albany was called for a penalty early in the fourth quarter, giving the Rock yet another power play chance.  Toronto took just 12 seconds to capitalize as Schreiber found a hole and scored his fourth goal of the game.  Minutes later, Malcom took a big hit in front of the Rock net, drawing a five-minute penalty, disqualifying Mitch de Snoo from the rest of the contest.  With a man up, Jacob Ruest found the back of the net to bring the FireWolves within a goal with just over two and a half minutes remaining in the power play.  Still with the man advantage, Kew scored his third goal of the night, tying the game at eight.  Kew wasted no time hitting the back of the net again for his fourth goal of the game to give the FireWolves their first lead since the second quarter.

Shortly after the two goals by Kew, Dan Dawson got in close and beat Jamieson to tie the game once again, this time at nine.  Dawson quickly scored again minutes later, giving the Rock a 10-9 lead with two minutes to go in the game.  Albany was unable to score after leaving the net open and giving the FireWolves a man-up advantage with under a minute to go.  Fighting for a loose ball, Jamieson left the net to gain possession for Albany who called a timeout with just 19 seconds to go in the game.  Albany was unable to score, and Toronto held on for a 10-9 victory.

The FireWolves will be back in action on Saturday, December 18 for a home matchup versus the Rochester Knighthawks.

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.