Albany, NY – The Albany FireWolves (6-0) are the hottest team in the National Lacrosse League and will be seeking a 7-0 start as they return home to MVP Arena this Saturday, January 20 at 7 pm ET to play the San Diego Seals (3-2). The game is available to watch on ESPN+, TSN+, and locally on MY4. Â
Last weekend, the FireWolves had their most dominant performance yet with a 12-8 win over the Georgia Swarm. They face another big challenge as they welcome a very skilled San Diego team that loves to play run and gun lacrosse. Fans will be treated to a Saturday showcase of two of the NLL’s most exciting teams. Â
Chasing HistoryÂ
Albany is the 13th team in NLL history to start 6-0 and with a win over San Diego they would be only the 4th team to start 7-0. This impressive start has been fueled by a revamped offense featuring NLL leading scorer Alex Simmons (37 points -16g & 21a) and six players with 20 points or more. Not only are they putting up big numbers, but they battle for repossessions and have frustrated opposing defenses with their creative style. The defense has held up their end as well and have improved with each game to become one of the best units in the league. Head coach Glenn Clark and his staff have put in the systems that allow the players to go out on the floor and let their play do the talking. The FireWolves are chasing a special season with a special group of players. Â
The Rise Of The Defense Â
The FireWolves defense played its best game of the season last weekend only allowing 8 goals against Georgia’s high-powered offense. The back end has been solid through the beginning of the season, but they are starting to come into their own as an elite group. With rookies Zachary Young and Nicholas Volkov logging a lot of minutes they have learned on the fly thanks to veteran defenders like captain Colton Watkinson, Nick Chaykowksy, and Jackson Nishimura. The defense has made some of the NLL’s best scorers look average with great pressure, timely slides, and pure hard work. Goalie Doug Jamieson is racking up saves and his steady presence has the Albany defense in a great position to shut down the Seals’ top scorers. Â
Scouting The SealsÂ
The FireWolves haven’t played the Seals since a 13-12 win on Feb. 26, 2022 and the rosters of both teams look very different heading into this matchup. The Seals feature future hall of famers Dane Dobbie and Curtis Dickson as well as the always dangerous Austin Staats and Wes Berg. Their defense is lead by 4x Defensive Player of the Year Kyle Rubisch who has other veterans like Cam Holding and Jesse Gamble holding down a unit that loves to push the ball in transition. Faceoff man Trevor Baptiste is third in the NLL with a 73% faceoff win percentage and his matchup with Albany’s faceoff man Joe Nardella could decide the game in crunch time. Â
FireWolves Players To WatchÂ
Colton Watkinson has been the leader the FireWolves have needed all season long with his reliable defensive play, but against Georgia he showed his scoring touch with 2 goals. Watkinson was voted a top 5 transition player in the preseason, and he is starting to return to that level of play, which will be crucial for the grind of the middle of the season. Â
Doug Jamieson has gotten better with each game played and put in his best performance of the season against Georgia with 36 saves on 44 shots. His 10.14 GAA is second in the NLL. Â
Ethan Walker has continued to be the quiet, but effective leader of the FireWolves offense and he finds ways to score momentum shifting goals. Â
Opposing Players To Watch Â
Chris Origlieri has 40 career games played at only 21 years old and he has established himself as the Seals starter in net with his ball stopping ability and athletic style. Â
Austin Staats can explode for a 6 goal game every night with his physical and crafty dodging. He will battle his way through three defenders to get to the goal. Staats has played with and against Doug Jamieson his entire life which will make for a great showdown of shooter vs goalie. Â
Wes Berg has taken over as captain of the Seals and has started his tenure as the team’s leading scorer with 40 points. His precise shooting and passing allow him to make an impact on every possession. Â
Single game tickets for the 2023-2024 FireWolves season are available now! Join us for Margaritaville Night on January 20th at MVP Arena and experience FireWolves lacrosse. For more information regarding tickets, visit www.AlbanyFireWolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-362-4900.Â
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 Empire of the National Arena League and the Division I Men’s College Basketball Siena Saints. For more information, please visit https://www.mvparena.com/
