HALIFAX, NS – After a week off, the Albany FireWolves (1-2) are looking for a bounce back win as they travel to play the Halifax Thunderbirds (0-3) at 6 pm ET at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+, and locally on MY4.
The FireWolves had a tough 13-12 overtime loss to Calgary two weeks ago as it was small mistakes that cost them the win despite a strong performance. Overall, Albany has played very well on both sides of the floor and will look to produce a more complete game against a Halifax team that they knocked out of the playoffs last season.
Have A Short Memory
The FireWolves are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss, but there is no time to sulk in the NLL and they must push that game aside to look ahead to their next matchup. Albany needs to have a short memory and focus on the things they have done well in their first three games. The offense is averaging almost 13 goals a game and has also been successful on the power play. The defense and faceoff unit have dominated loose balls and controlled the pace of each game. Scoring has been balanced with Alex Simmons, Tye Kurtz, Sam Firth, and Ethan Walker all at 10 points or more. Doug Jamieson has played very well in net and will look to shut down Halifax like he did last postseason.
Play A Full Sixty Minutes
In the FireWolves two overtime losses, they seemed to control the pace of the game and especially against Calgary they were able to jump out to a strong lead. However, they had portions of those games where they seemed to let their foot off the gas pedal which left any opening for their opponents to go on scoring runs. Albany must play a full sixty-minute game where they are executing at a high level, limiting mistakes, and applying pressure all over the floor. Eliminating those small lapses will be crucial to taking and holding the lead on the road to winning.
Scouting The Thunderbirds
Halifax has had a bumpy start to the season with a 0-3 record and losses coming by small margins. Two of the Thunderbirds losses are to the two teams that beat the FireWolves, Calgary and Saskatchewan, and they were both one goal games just like Albany’s games against them. Halifax will be hungry for their first win of the season and the FireWolves will need to match their energy and take the crowd out of the game early. They have several weapons on offense such as Dawson Theede, Thomas Hoggarth, and Randy Staats who can produce big numbers, but they have struggled in net as they have switched their goalies in and out.
FireWolves Players To Watch
Tye Kurtz has been a steady goal scoring presence for the FireWolves so far this season and put up 3 goals in his last outing.
John Piatelli has been put into the lineup to fill in for injuries, but he has been fantastic with his gritty play style and knack for scoring in tight.
Doug Jamieson had one of the best goaltending performances ever seen in the NLL against Halifax in last season’s quarterfinals as he made 52 saves on 55 shots. He will look to repeat that against the Thunderbirds’ high-powered offense.
Thunderbirds Players To Watch
Randy Staats put up an impressive 20 assists in 3 games as the quarterback of Halifax’s offense.
Ryan Terefenko is one of the best transition players in the NLL with his ability to play tough defense and create instant offense.
Dawson Theede is one of the top goal scorers in the league so far with 11 on the season. He uses his size and great stick skills to find openings.
The FireWolves next home game will be Saturday, January 4 at 7 pm at MVP Arena against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs for Tucker Out Lymphoma Night which honors the life of Tucker Williams who passed away from Burkitt’s Lymphoma in 2014. Las Vegas head coach Shawn Williams is the father of Tucker and FireWolves player Dyson Williams is Tucker’s brother.
Get your tickets for Tucker Out Lymphoma Night now! For more information regarding tickets, visit www.albanyfirewolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-675-8678.
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 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 Empire 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/
