NARDELLA HITS MILESTONE AND YOUNG STARS SHINE IN LOSS: BY THE NUMBERS PRESENTED BY STOREDTECH

ALBANY, NY – In the battle of the capital cities, the FireWolves got great performances from their faceoff team and young stars in the loss to the Black Bears.  

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 OTTAWA 

18 Loose Balls By Joe Nardella 

Nardella needed 17 loose balls to reach 500 career loose balls and he would end the game with 18 to hit an impressive milestone. The Cazenovia, NY native is currently first in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) with a 66% faceoff win percentage. He won faceoffs cleanly to himself or got the ball out to his teammates as he gave the FireWolves opportunities to mount a comeback. 18 loose balls was 1 shy of his career high of 19 in a game and with the pace that Nardella is on it’s likely he will set a new career high soon.

6 Points By Tye Kurtz

The first goal of the game came only 8 seconds in as Kurtz snagged a loose ball off the opening faceoff and scored in transition to give the FireWolves the early lead. He then served as the set-up man as he dished out 5 assists to his teammates. In his second NLL season, he has been a consistent offensive threat for Albany and has proved that he can be a dominant goal scorer or passer. This was an extra special game as he faced his brother Reed Kurtz, a defenseman on Ottawa, for the first time ever in their careers. Reed may have gotten the bragging rights, but there will be many more opportunities for Tye to get his revenge in the seasons to come.

3 Goals By Alex Simmons  

One of the biggest bright spots for the FireWolves has been the play of Alex Simmons whose 59 points (23g, 36a) is 9th in the NLL in points. Against the Black Bears, he scored his fourth hat trick of the season with three great goals. The 2024 Rookie of the Year has continued to be one of the top scorers in the league with his exceptional shooting and dynamic playmaking. With Simmons playing at such a high level, Albany still has time to climb the standings with some wins as they head into the back part of this season.  

The FireWolves return to action this Saturday, February 22 at MVP Arena against the Philadelphia Wings.  

Join us for Alphie’s Birthday next Saturday as over a dozen of his mascot friends will join us for a fun filled game! Get tickets now for Alphie’s Birthday on February 22! 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/