The Albany FireWolves (9-9) defeated the New York Riptide (6-12), 17-9, at the MVP Arena in Albany on Saturday evening. For the second consecutive week, Albany’s defense stifled their opponents in the second half and cruised to an easy victory. Full statistics from the game can be found here.
The win clinched a playoff berth for Albany. Because the Philadelphia Wings defeated the Georgia Swarm on Saturday, Albany clinched the Eastern Conference berth and is the fourth seed in the East bracket. The FireWolves will now travel to Buffalo this Saturday to face the top-seeded Bandits in a one-game playoff matchup. Albany and Buffalo met twice during the regular season, with the Bandits winning both games.
| SCORE BY QUARTER |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
FINAL |
| ALBANY |
2 |
4 |
6 |
5 |
17 |
| NEW YORK |
4 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
9 |
Joe Resetarits wrapped up his regular season with a bang, finishing with 11 total points on 5 goals and 6 assists. His 111 total points on the year ranked third in the league, while his 47 goals were tied for the league lead. The 111 points set a new career high for Resetarits. Andrew Kew and Ryan Benesch each racked up 7 points in the contest. Kew finished with 5 goals and 2 assists, while Benesch ended the night with 2 goals and 5 assists. Benesch finished the season second on the team with 81 points and 52 assists. Kew’s 33 goals this year were the second most on the FireWolves. Reilly O’Connor had himself a nice game with 2 goals and 4 assists. His first assist of the contest marked number 200 on his career. Charlie Kitchen (1 goal, 1 assist), Jacob Ruest (2 assists), and Nick Chaykowsky (1 goal, 1 assist) each finished with 2 points on the night. Tony Malcom, Adam Bomberry, John LaFontaine, Adrian Sorichetti, and Joe Nardella each added 1 point in the game.
In net, Jamieson allowed just 6 goals and recorded 23 saves, bringing his total to 675 on the year, fourth in the NLL. Ethan Woods entered the game in the fourth quarter and allowed 3 goals while making 3 saves.
Joe Nardella went 19 for 30 from the faceoff dot. Nardella finished the season having won 294 of 439 faceoffs. His faceoff win-rate was 67 percent, third highest in the league among those who have taken more than one faceoff.
Defensively, Bomberry and Nardella led the Wolves with 8 loose balls on the night. Both Bomberry and Nardella each added 2 caused turnovers to their lines. Bomberry finished the season with 25 caused turnovers, leading the team in just 11 games played. Nardella ended the regular season with 135 loose ball recoveries, leading the FireWolves in that category. Mike Byrne added caused 3 turnovers and scooped up 5 loose balls in the win. Malcom, Chaykowsky, Kew, and Jackson Nishimura each collected 6 loose balls in the game. Greg Downing added 2 caused turnover to his line, while LaFontaine caused 1 turnover.
Albany was efficient on power play opportunities, going 4 for 5, getting 2 goals from Resetarits and 1 goal each from Kew and Benesch. The Riptide only had 1 power play try on the night and were unable to capitalize on the advantage.
The FireWolves will now head to Buffalo for a one game playoff matchup against the Bandits. The game will be on Saturday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. EST at the KeyBank Center and can be watched on ESPN+ or heard on 104.5 The Team. Albany and Buffalo met twice this season, with the Bandits edging out the FireWolves both times. The last time the two clubs met was a 12-11 overtime thriller in Albany. For more information regarding the playoffs, 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.
