SAN DIEGO, CA – It came down to the final possession and final seconds, but the Albany FireWolves (7-11) were not able to get the tying goal as they would fall 11-10 to the San Diego Seals (9-9) at Pechanga Arena to end their 2024-2025 National Lacrosse League (NLL) season.
The FireWolves have much to be proud of. They held a 2-8 record in February but would win five games down the stretch to give themselves an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot in the final game of the season. Despite the result, the FireWolves showed resilience and the future of the youngest team in the NLL is very bright.
Ethan Walker led the FireWolves with 6 points (3g, 3a) on the night. Scoring was rounded out by Tye Kurtz with 6 points (1g, 5a), Alex Simmons with 5 points (3g, 2a), Dyson Williams with 3 points (2g, 1a), and Sam Firth with 1 goal. Doug Jamieson had a great game with 50 saves on 61 shots.
View the full stats here: ALBANY VS SAN DIEGO
Watch the game highlights below:
The FireWolves started the game out well as Walker scored the first goal of the game to give them an early 1-0 lead. The Seals would respond soon after with a goal to tie it 1-1. The Albany defense and Jamieson were solid to start as they held San Diego to only 1 goal in the 1st quarter. Kurtz would score off a great feed from Kyle Jackson to give the FireWolves the 2-1 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was an old-fashioned shootout with Albany striking first with a three-goal run that saw Simmons score twice and Walker add another to take a 5-1 lead. Next the teams would go back and forth as San Diego would get one back in transition to bring the score to 5-2 but Williams would answer for the FireWolves on the power play to extend their lead to 6-2. In the last four minutes the Seals would score to make it 6-3, Walker would score again to bring it to 7-3, and then the Seals would score with 1 second left to head into halftime with the score at 7-4.
The third quarter was a battle between the lines as both teams’ defenses held their own. San Diego would find opportunities and score twice in the quarter on a shorthanded goal and a power play goal to make the score 7-6.
The final quarter had the feel of a playoff game with both teams’ postseason hopes hanging in the balance. The FireWolves struck first with Firth finishing off a perfect pick and roll to bring their lead to 8-6. Then, San Diego would go on a three-goal run to take their first lead of the game at 9-8. Albany didn’t back down with Williams answering immediately for Albany to tie the game at 9-9. The Seals would respond with a power play goal to retake the lead at 10-9, but Simmons crashed the net to score on a crease dive that tied the game once again at 10-10. A minute later, San Diego scored to take a 11-10 lead. Albany kept on pushing with several chances to tie it in the final minutes. It would come down to the final possession with 17 seconds on the clock as the FireWolves did everything they could to tie it, but the game would end with the Seals winning 11-10.
Thank you to all the Albany FireWolves players, coaches, staff, partners, and fans for another incredible season that saw the FireWolves break home attendance records and do an amazing job representing the Capital Region. The FireWolves will be back this December at MVP Arena for the 2025-2026 NLL season.
Season ticket deposits for the 2025-2026 season have begun! For more information, visit www.albanyfirewolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-675-8678 to avoid fees and save 30-70% on tickets.
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) 675-8678 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 14 franchises across the United States and Canada: Albany FireWolves, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, Las Vegas Desert Dogs, Ottawa Black Bears, 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.
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 Firebirds of the AFL 1 Arena Football League and the Division I Men’s College Basketball Siena Saints. For more information, please visit https://www.mvparena.com/
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