GEDDIE AND DEFENSE STRONG ON PENALTY KILL IN LOSS: BY THE NUMBERS PRESENTED BY STOREDTECH

Albany, NY – For any team in any sport to win six games in a row is a great accomplishment. For the Albany FireWolves to have done it to start the 2023-24 National Lacrosse League season after a 3-15 record the year before, is nothing short of incredible. Unfortunately, their magical 6-0 undefeated start ended this past weekend as they suffered their first loss of the season to the San Diego Seals at MVP Arena.  

Even in defeat, the youngest team in the NLL showed that they will not go down without a fight. Let’s take a look at the key numbers from this past Saturday’s game against the San Diego Seals. 

3 Shorthanded Goals 

Albany was penalized nine times against San Diego, which made it difficult to get offensive rhythm going as they were stuck killing penalties for 18 minutes of the game. However, this team features defenders who love to push the pace and try for shorthanded scoring opportunities. Jackson Nishimura, Patrick Kaschalk, and Nick Chaykowsky each scored a shorthanded goal that all came at crucial moments in the game and helped pump up the home crowd. Chaykoswky’s goal capped off a 5 goal run that made it 7-6 in the third quarter. Albany had scored 4 shorthanded goals total in their first six games, so the 3 against San Diego shows that their penalty kill unit is one of the most dangerous in the NLL.  

Nick Chaykowsky! It's 5-in-a-row for the @AlbFireWolves 🥅

The lead is down to 1 in Albany! pic.twitter.com/U3lDsLdFlh

— NLL (@NLL) January 21, 2024

28 Second Half Saves By Justin Geddie 

Going into the second half against the Seals, starting goalie Doug Jamieson left the game and was replaced by back up Justin Geddie. Down 7-2, Geddie stepped in and made save after save as the Seals tried to apply the pressure, but he stood tall and helped fuel a third quarter comeback for Albany. Geddie also had to face the San Diego power play for much of the second half which features some of the best shooters in the league in Austin Staats, Dane Dobbie, and Curtis Dickson. He sparked transition with his precision outlet passes to defenders running up the floor as they scored 2 shorthanded goals in the third quarter. The Seals offense would start to click again in the fourth quarter, but Geddie’s 28 saves on 34 shots kept the FireWolves in the game and showed that they have two great goaltenders on their roster.

3 Straight Games With A Goal For Patrick Kaschalk  

In his sophomore NLL season, Kaschalk has made his presence known by playing very strong defense, but also finding the back of the net in 3 straight games. He is now second in the NLL among defensemen with 10 points and second in goals with 6. Kaschalk has been the unsung hero for the FireWolves as his goals always come in big moments and against the Seals he also scooped up 5 loose balls, blocked 3 shots, and caused 2 turnovers. Looking ahead to the FireWolves next game against Las Vegas, Kaschalk scored in their first meeting with the Desert Dogs back in December and looks poised to extend his goal scoring streak to 4 games.  

The ebbs and flows of an NLL season make every game unpredictable and with so much talent spread across 15 teams wins are not easy to come by. The unified standings and only eight teams making the playoffs will make this the most competitive season in league history. Now at a franchise best start of 6-1, the FireWolves know what it takes to win and will look to bounce back against Las Vegas at MVP Arena on Saturday, February 3 at 7 pm.