ALBANY, NY – The National Lacrosse League (NLL) today announced that five members of the Albany FireWolves have been nominated as finalists for end-of-season awards.
Alex Simmons and Tye Kurtz are both finalists for Rookie of the Year. Doug Jamieson is a finalist for Goaltender of the Year for the second time in his NLL career. Glenn Clark is a finalist for both the Les Bartley Award (Coach of the Year) and General Manager of the Year. FireWolves’ CEO and Owner Oliver Marti is a finalist for Executive of the Year.
View the full list of award finalists here: https://www.nll.com/news/national-lacrosse-league-announces-finalists-for-2023-24-nll-awards/
Alex Simmons – Rookie of the Year Finalist
Simmons finished the regular season with 96 points which is the second most by a first-year player in NLL history. Simmons leads the FireWolves in goals (38) and assists (58) while he also picked up 85 loose balls. He currently leads all players in playoff scoring with 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists).
Tye Kurtz – Rookie of the Year Finalist
Kurtz’s is second in rookie scoring behind Simmons with 78 points (32 goals, 46 assists). His 112 loose balls are fourth among all NLL forwards. He is currently second in playoff scoring with 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists).
Doug Jamieson – Goaltender of the Year Finalist
Jamieson posted a career high 11 wins during the 2023-24 NLL season with a 10.12 Goals Against Average and 80% Save Percentage. In 978 minutes played this season, Jamieson made 662 saves. Jamieson currently has 3 wins in the 2024 NLL playoffs with a Goals Against Average of 8.34 and a Save Percentage of 84%. He made 52 saves and only allowed 3 goals in the FireWolves opening round win over the Halifax Thunderbirds. Jamieson was named the NLL Goaltender of the Year in 2020, and would be the fourth goaltender in NLL history to receive the award more than once.
Glenn Clark – Les Bartley Award (Head Coach of the Year) & General Manager of the Year Finalist
Clark has led the FireWolves to the 2024 NLL Finals only a year after posting a 3-15 record and finishing last place in the NLL during the 2022-23 season. Through player movement as general manager and as the leader on the bench as head coach, Clark has been the steady presence that has allowed for such a miraculous turnaround. Clark previously has won the Les Bartley Award (Coach of the Year) in 2016 as head coach of the New England Black Wolves.
Oliver Marti – Executive of the Year Finalist
Marti brought the NLL back to Albany in 2021 when he bought the New England Black Wolves and became CEO and Owner of the Albany FireWolves. In just three seasons, he has led the organization to the NLL playoffs twice and now their first NLL Finals appearance.
Once nominations were finalized, each NLL team cast three ballots for each award and select media were eligible to vote for all awards except Teammate of the Year and Executive of the Year.
Voting members selected their top five choices for each award among all nominated persons. Points were distributed for each first through fifth place vote as follows:
1st Place – 10 points
2nd Place – 7 points
3rd Place – 5 points
4th Place – 3 points
5th Place – 1 point
The person that accumulated the most points will be announced as the winner, while the top three in each category are designated as the award finalists. The All-NLL and All-Rookie teams are determined by the top vote getters in each position-based award. The All-Rookie team will be made up of six rookies, regardless of position. The All-NLL First Team and All-NLL Second Team will be made up of six individuals – two forwards, one transition player, two defenseman, and one goaltender – per team.
The award winners will be announced by the NLL throughout next week before the start of the NLL Finals. The FireWolves will face the Buffalo Bandits in a best-of-three series for the NLL Cup, beginning with Game 1 on Friday, May 17 at 7 pm at MVP Arena. Get set for a thrilling conclusion to the Albany FireWolves playoffs presented by Concord Pools & Spas.
The Albany FireWolves need the support of the Capital Region as they continue their hunt for the NLL Cup! Get tickets now for Game 1 of the NLL Finals on Friday, May 17 at 7 pm at MVP Arena in Albany, NY.
Tickets are available now! https://albanyfirewolves.com/tickets/ticket-center/
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 Desert Dogs, 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.
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 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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