ALBANY, NY – Great performances up and down the Albany FireWolves roster highlighted another back-and-forth game this past weekend against the Saskatchewan Rush. Even in defeat, the FireWolves are playing with no quit as they look to turn the page and get ready for the next challenge of the 2024-2025 National Lacrosse League (NLL) season.
Let’s go By The Numbers Presented By StoredTech and look at some of the key numbers from this past weekend’s game. View game stats here: ALBANY VS SASKATCHEWAN
6 Points By Dyson Williams (Career High)
Rookie forward Dyson Williams has been finding his groove in recent games and produced his best game yet against Saskatchewan as he finished the night with 3 goals and 3 assists for a career-high 6 points. The #1 Pick in the 2023 NLL Draft used the first few games of this season to get a feel for the NLL, but has exploded recently to show that he belongs at the top of rookie scoring with 29 points so far this season. This was his second hat trick and third game with 5 points or more. Williams is beginning to find his scoring touch in the NLL and will surely keep racking up points all season long.
24 Faceoffs Wins By Joe Nardella
The league leader in faceoff win percentage is the FireWolves very own Joe Nardella who holds a 67% faceoff win percentage through 8 games. Nardella won 24 faceoffs out of 32 taken this past weekend against the Rush to add to his impressive totals and help the FireWolves have a fighting chance all game long. These faceoff wins have given Albany the advantage in the middle of the field and have helped lead to transition opportunities like Zac Masson and Will Johansen’s goals in the game this past weekend. Nardella’s success in the faceoff circle will be crucial for the FireWolves to string together more wins this season.
4th Straight Game With 7 Points Or More By Alex Simmons
Forward Alex Simmons is leading the FireWolves in scoring for the second season in a row and in his past four games he has been on fire with 7 points or more in each of them. This past weekend against the Rush, Simmons scored 2 goals and served as more of a facilitator with 5 assists to end the game with 7 points. The 2024 Rookie of the Year has been a spark plug for Albany with his fearless diving goals, rocket outside shots, and knack for making big plays. If Simmons can continue at this pace, he will likely exceed his 96 point total from his rookie season.
The FireWolves must shake off the loss quickly as they prepare to face the undefeated Buffalo Bandits this Saturday, February 1 at 7:30 pm ET. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+, and locally on MY4. The Albany FireWolves next home game is on Saturday, February 15 at 7 pm at MVP Arena against the Ottawa Black Bears for Indigenous Celebration Night.
Get tickets now for Indigenous Celebration Night on February 15! 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/