FIREWOLVES FIGHT TO THE END IN LOSS TO OTTAWA: GAME RECAP PRESENTED BY BROTHERS GUTTERS

ALBANY, NY – The Albany FireWolves (2-8) fought hard, but could not hold back the Ottawa Black Bears (5-4) in a physical game that saw the Black Bears come away with the win 18-9 on Indigenous Celebration Night. It was a special night with Indigenous musicians and dancers performing during pregame and halftime. Lacrosse legend and Faithkeeper of the Haudenosaunee, Oren Lyons, was also honored as the Hero of the Game. 

The FireWolves were led offensively by Tye Kurtz who finished the game with 6 points on 1 goal and 5 assists. Scoring was rounded out by Alex Simmons with 3 goals, Ethan Walker with 3 points (2g, 1a), Sam Firth with 3 points (1g, 2a), Dyson Williams 3 points (1g, 2a), and Patrick Kaschalk. Joe Nardella was dominant in the faceoff circle winning 18 out of 28 faceoffs taken.

View full game stats here: ALBANY VS OTTAWA 

Watch the highlights below:

The game started out at a torrid pace with the FireWolves starting hot out of the gates as Kurtz scored off the opening faceoff to quickly make it 1-0. But Ottawa would respond less than a minute later to even the score at 1-1. The teams would continue to trade goals as Kaschalk found the back of the net off a transition opportunity and the Black Bears answered with two quick goals to bring it to 3-2. Simmons would respond on the power play with a blistering shot to tie the game again at 3-3. Then Ottawa found their rhythm as they rattled off six straight goals to end the first quarter with a lead of 9-3.  

The second quarter was also high scoring with the Black Bears adding another tally to extend their lead to 10-3. However, Albany would show no quit as Williams and Walker scored two goals in under 30 seconds to cut the lead to 10-5. The game would start to get physical and the FireWolves were hit with several penalties which Ottawa capitalized on as they scored three power play goals in a row to end the first half with the Black Bears leading 13-5.  

The Black Bears scoring run continued into the second half as they continued to find the back of the net and go on another run as they brought the score to 17-5. Albany would then get goals from Walker, two from Simmons, and one from Firth to bring the score to 17-9. Ottawa added one more goal on the power play and the game would end with the Black Bears winning the battle of the capital cities 18-9.  

The FireWolves return to action next Saturday, February 22 at MVP Arena against the Philadelphia Wings.  

Join us for Alphie’s Birthday next Saturday as over a dozen of his mascot friends will join us for a fun filled game! Get tickets now for Alphie’s Birthday on February 22! Fans can take advantage of the best ticket prices around starting at $15.96! For more information regarding tickets, visit www.albanyfirewolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-675-8678 to avoid fees.       

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/