ROCHESTER, NY – The Albany FireWolves (3-8) will travel west down the I90 to face the Rochester Knighthawks (5-7) in a big game for both teams as they fight for they playoff hopes. Faceoff is set for 7 PM at Blue Crosse Arena in downtown Rochester.
FireWolves fans are invited to join the Official Watch Party at Recovery Sports Grill in East Greenbush to watch the game and have a chance to win prizes. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+, TSN+. NLL+, and locally on MY4.
Changing It Up
In their win against Philadelphia, the FireWolves made drastic changes that worked out well as they put together a full team effort to get the victory. The biggest change was flipping the responsibilities of assistant coaches Darryl Gibson and Clem D’Orazio as Gibson moved from coaching the offense to the defense and D’Orazio moved from the defense to the offense. Under Gibson, the defense played a different system that played to Albany’s strengths as they held the Wings to only six goals. The offense flowed well with D’Orazio making some slight tweaks to maximize their effectiveness which resulted in great ball movement and several multi goal runs. The changes in leadership and mindset were much needed to get the FireWolves out of their slump. Now they must keep that momentum going into a crucial part of the season.
It’s Who?
Doug Jamieson had a bounce back game against the Wings that saw him make 47 saves on 53 shots on goal as he looked the most comfortable and confident that he has all season. There have been struggles for the 2024 NLL Goaltender of the Year nominee with him being pulled from the net a few times this season, but this game was a big reset for the 28-year-old. Add in the great performance of the defense in front of him and Dougie was seeing the shots he wanted while also making some incredible saves. He showed that he can be the best goalie in the world last season in the FireWolves run to the 2024 NLL Finals and if he can start to show that version of himself again Albany will be in good shape to make a run to playoff contention.
Scouting The Knighthawks
Rochester has faced similar struggles to the FireWolves as they have lost several one goal games in dramatic fashion, but they have found ways to get several key wins. They are also in a position where they need to win every game to have a better chance of making the playoffs. Connor Fields has led the way for them once again as he works alongside a talented offensive group of Ryan Lanchbury, Thomas McConvey, and Ryan Smith. The Knighthawks have had a few different goalies see time in net this season, but Rylan Hartley has returned from injury and been their starter the past three games. Rochester had Albany’s number last season as they won both matchups.
FireWolves Players To Watch
John Piatelli has emerged as a consistent goal scorer for the FireWolves and has earned more time in the lineup. He will look to build off his career high 5 points against Philadelphia.
Patrick Kaschalk has scored a goal in the past two games emerging as a great scoring threat in transition.
Doug Jamieson got back on track with a 47 save performance against the Wings and the FireWolves will need another big game from him versus the high-powered Rochester offense.
Opposing Players To Watch
Rylan Hartley has returned from injury to be the Knighthawks starter in net the past three games. The FireWolves can take advantage of him still getting back into NLL shape.
Ryan Lanchbury had success against Albany last season and his 55 assists are tied for second best in the league.
Connor Fields is an elite offensive talent who the FireWolves defense will need to always have 100% percent of their attention on. Pushing him to tough angles and smothering his opportunities will be key to shut him down.
FireWolves fans are invited to join the Official Watch Party at Recovery Sports Grill in East Greenbush to watch the game and have a chance to win prizes! Join us on Friday, February 28 at 7 pm. The FireWolves next home game is on Saturday, March 15 at MVP Arena for Marvel Super Hero Night.
Get tickets now for Marvel Super Hero Night! Fans can take advantage of the best ticket prices around 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/
