SIMMONS HITS 100 POINT MILESTONE IN LOSS: BY THE NUMBERS PRESENTED BY STOREDTECH

ALBANY, NY – The Albany FireWolves opened their 2024-2025 National Lacrosse League (NLL) campaign with an exciting and dramatic overtime game against the Saskatchewan Rush. They would lose to the Rush, but there were plenty of positives from the play of the FireWolves that Albany fans should look forward to watching all season.  

Let’s take a look at some of the key numbers from this past weekend’s game. View game stats here: Albany vs Saskatchewan 

103 Career Points For Alex Simmons 

In the first game of his second NLL season, Alex Simmons has already reached the 100 career point mark with a 7 point (3 goals, 4 assists) performance that brings him to 103 points in 19 career regular season games played in his young career. The 2024 NLL Rookie of the Year picked up where he left off from last season with a rifle shot from the outside, two diving goals on the crease, and great passing that helped keep the FireWolves in the fight all game long. At a career 5 PPG (points per game), Simmons will once again be one of the top forwards in the NLL and will continue to boost Albany’s level of play with his work ethic, dynamic skill set, and his pure goal scoring ability.  

2 First Career Goals By Rookies  

It was a night that Dyson Williams and Will Johansen will remember forever as they each scored their first career NLL goals in their first NLL game. Williams, the #1 Draft Pick in the 2023 NLL Entry Draft, scored the second goal of the game in a moment that he has been waiting for his entire life. Growing up watching his father Shawn Williams, a member of the NLL Hall of Fame, Dyson Williams finally stepped foot on an NLL floor and made an impact in his first game with 1 goal and 1 assist. Will Johansen was the #7 Draft Pick in the 2022 NLL Draft, but missed the 2023-2024 season due to injury. In his first NLL action, Johansen not only scored his first goal, but also picked up 9 loose balls, blocked 1 shot, and caused 1 turnover.  

 

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90 Loose Balls Scooped Up By The FireWolves 

Despite the overtime loss, the FireWolves were dominant on the ground as they scooped up 90 loose balls to the Rush’s 67 loose balls. Winning those battles allowed Albany to have the opportunities to keep the game close throughout and be able to tie the game late. The offense had several possessions where they had two to three resets as they fought to get the ball back. Simmons had an incredible 12 loose balls and Tye Kurtz chipped in 7. The defense played tough and were able to get key loose balls in front of the net. Johansen led the defense with 9 loose balls while Mike Byrne, Joe Nardella, and John Wagner all picked up 7 loose balls. That tenacity and loose ball advantage may not have got them the win, but that style of play will be crucial or their success all season long.  

Next up for the FireWolves is a trip up north to face the Toronto Rock on Saturday, December 7 at 7 PM at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, ON. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+, and locally on MY4.  

The FireWolves will return to MVP Arena for their next home game on Saturday, December 14 at 7 PM. Fans can get 2 Tickets and 1 FireWolves Ornaments for $40.  

Season tickets for the FireWolves 2024-25 season are available now! For more information regarding tickets, visit www.albanyfirewolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-675-8678.   

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) 362-4900 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 Empire 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/