The Albany FireWolves (8-9) defeated the Philadelphia Wings (8-9), 11-5, at the MVP Arena in Albany on Saturday evening. Philadelphia jumped out to an early lead, but the FireWolves surged in the second half with nine unanswered goals. Full statistics from the game can be found here.
The win moved Albany to the fifth spot in the Eastern Division standings and pushed them ahead of the Wings. If the season ended today, the FireWolves would be in the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Western bracket. In the event the final playoff spot comes down to both Albany and Panther City being tied with a 9-9 record, it would go to strength of victory. The official tiebreaker scenario will be released later this week.
SCORE BY QUARTER |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
FINAL |
ALBANY |
1 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
PHILADELPHIA |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
Joe Resetarits led the way for the FireWolves offense with 7 total points on 4 goals and 3 assists. His fourth goal on the night marked his 100th point on the season, a feat he has accomplished twice in his career and remains the only American-born player to have ever done it. On the year, Resetarits is third in the league with 100 points. His 42 goals are tied for second most in the league, while he sits in seventh overall with 58 assists. Resetarits continues to lead the FireWolves in each of the three offensive statistical categories. Ryan Benesch and Andrew Kew each tallied 3 points on 1 goal and 2 assists in the contest. Benesch’s 74 points on the season rank him inside the top 20 amongst the league’s leaders. He also ranks second on the FireWolves in total points and assists. Kew now has 28 goals on the season, second most for Albany. Tony Malcom (1 goal, 1 assist), Greg Downing (2 assists), Reilly O’Connor (1 goal, 1 assist), Adam Bomberry (2 assists), and Tanner Thomson (1 goal, 1 assist) all added 2 points on the night. Jackson Nishimura, Colton Watkinson, Jacob Ruest, John LaFontaine, Adrian Sorichetti, and Doug Jamieson rounded out the scoring with 1 point each.
In net, Jamieson allowed just 5 goals on 44 Wings shots on goal. The goalie recorded 44 saves, bringing his total to 652 on the year, third in the NLL. Jamieson and the FireWolves defense nearly shut out the Wings in the second half, but Philadelphia managed to score 1 goal with just seconds remaining in the game.
Joe Nardella went 7 for 20 from the faceoff dot. On the season, Nardella has won 275 of 409 faceoffs thus far. His faceoff win-rate is 67.2 percent, third in the league among those who have taken more than one faceoff.
Defensively, O’Connor led the Wolves with 11 loose ball recoveries. Both Malcom and Nishimura scooped up 8 loose balls on the night. Malcom also caused 2 turnovers. Adam Bomberry led Albany with 4 caused turnovers on the night and continues to lead the team in the category with 23 on the year. Greg Downing added 2 caused turnovers to his game line while Resetarits, Watkinson, Sorichetti, and Mike Byrne each added 1.
Albany was just 1 for 4 on power plays, getting their lone goal from Benesch. Conversely, the Wings were 2 of 4 on man-up advantages.
The FireWolves are off next weekend but will be back home in the Capital Region to take on the New York Riptide on Saturday, April 30. The game is at 7 p.m. EST at the MVP Arena in Albany and can be watched on ESPN+ and My4 Albany. This will be the second time that the FireWolves and the Riptide meet this season, with New York winning the first matchup in Long Island, 15-6, just a few weeks ago.
Fans can secure their tickets for the next FireWolves home game now! For more information regarding tickets, visit www.AlbanyFireWolves.com 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 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 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 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 Empire of the National Arena League and the Division I Men’s College Basketball Siena Saints. For more information, please visit www.mvparena.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.