ALBANY, NY – It will be an action-packed night at MVP Arena as the Albany FireWolves (1-5) will face the Colorado Mammoth (4-2) for the second weekend in a row on Star Wars Night tonight Saturday, January 18 at 7 pm. The FireWolves will look to avenge their loss to the Mammoth last weekend and get a big win.
On Star Wars Night, the first 1,000 fans aged 14 or younger will get a laser sword! Star Wars characters will also be making appearances throughout the game. Tickets are lower than ever before starting at $15.96! Call (518) 675-8678 or visit www.albanyfirewolves.com to get tickets now.
The game will be available to watch on ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+, and locally on MY4.
Young Stars Continue To Shine
In their sophomore season, both Tye Kurtz and Alex Simmons have continued to put up big numbers and have multi goal games as one of the best one-two punches in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Against Colorado, their sticks were red hot as Kurtz scored a career high 7 goals and Simmons produced 7 points (3g, 4a). Simmons was the 2024 NLL Rookie of the Year and Kurtz was named to the All-Rookie team last season, but this year they could both in the conversation for All-NLL. It will be crucial for this duo to continue to produce big numbers as the FireWolves fight to get back into the win column and make a run to get back to .500.
Weathering The Storm
The first six games of the FireWolves’ 2024-2025 season have been an unexpected test for this young team who was coming off an appearance in the 2024 NLL Finals. Three overtime losses and two losses in which they held large leads, have forced Albany into a tough spot early on this season. Add on injuries to forward Travis Longboat, three of their top defenders (John Wagner, Colton Watkinson, & Jackson Nishimura), and veteran scorer Callum Crawford, and the FireWolves are faced with a challenge they must attack rather than shy away from. Through Head Coach Glenn Clark and his coaching staff’s leadership, rookies learning from early mistakes, and the team rallying together, this group is capable of pulling the rope in the same direction to change the course of this season.
Scouting The Mammoth
Colorado leaned on their veterans to score late goals and come back from the FireWolves early lead in their victory last weekend. The Mammoth defense will make adjustments to counter the success of Kurtz and Simmons as well as the efficient Albany power play. The FireWolves will also need to adjust how they defend Connor Kelly who scored 5 key goals against them last game. The Mammoth are an experienced and talented team who will come into MVP Arena looking to sweep this home and home series, but Albany will do everything they can to finish this weekend’s match up with a win.
FireWolves Players To Watch
Tye Kurtz had Mammoth goalie Dillon Ward’s number as he scored 6 goals on him and 1 on backup goalie Nathan Whittom. Kurtz will look to continue to pour in the goals against the Mammoth.
Carson Moyer was recently signed by the FireWolves and will likely make his NLL debut against Colorado. He is a skilled lefty forward who will provide a different look for the offense.
Joe Nardella’s success at the faceoff circle will be critical for the FireWolves to control possession all game long. Nardella leads the league with a 66% faceoff win percentage.
Opposing Players To Watch
Connor Robinson scored several momentum shifting goals last weekend.
Dillon Ward struggled against the FireWolves shooters early, but didn’t allow a goal in the 4th quarter as the Mammoth pulled out the win.
Connor Kelly was the driving force in Colorado’s comeback last weekend and the Albany defense will need to limit his production and get him off his game this time around.
Get tickets now for Star Wars Night on Saturday, January 18 at 7 pm at MVP Arena against the Colorado Mammoth! Fans can take advantage of the best ticket prices in the galaxy starting at $15.96! For more information regarding tickets, visit www.albanyfirewolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-675-8678 to avoid fees.
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) 675-8678 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 Firebirds 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/
