An offense firing on all cylinders, loose ball domination, and players leading the National Lacrosse League in scoring has the Albany FireWolves (3-0) off to their best start to a season since moving to the capital region in 2021. Let’s take a look at the numbers from the FireWolves’ most recent win against the Philadelphia Wings to get a better look at what is fueling their 3-0 record.
Full statistics from the game can be found here.
League Leading 20 Points For Ethan Walker And Alex Simmons
Ethan Walker (7G, 13A) and Alex Simmons (10G, 10A) are tied with 20 points each to lead the NLL in scoring through three games played. Against the Wings, they both scored 3 goals and had 5 assists. To continue the symmetry, so far this season Simmons has assisted on 4 of Walker’s goals and Walker has assisted on 4 of Simmons’ goals.
All of this does not come as a shock with Walker and Simmons being long-time teammates: first at the Culver Military Academy and then at the University of Denver. That familiarity with one another has transferred indoors with the FireWolves as they are playing with a ton of confidence in this new look offense.
Loose Ball Domination
In lacrosse, the team that wins the majority of the loose ball battles will usually win the game. Having that edge in possession means more opportunities to score and more time the other team doesn’t have the ball. Against the Wings, the FireWolves held a huge advantage scooping up 83 loose balls while Philadelphia only had 50. Joe Nardella was responsible for 17 of those loose balls, Nick Chaykowsky had 7, and five offensive players had 5 or more. Marshall Powless has been especially good on loose balls and currently has the most in the league among forwards with 21.
Ethan Walker Reaches 100 Career Points
Walker reached 100 career points with an assist on Sam Firth’s goal in the second quarter against the Wings. Walker has climbed the charts quickly in his third NLL season as he now has 106 points and is the “veteran” on the young FireWolves offense. His experience and calm, but extremely competitive, demeanor on the floor has helped the offense find their groove early on. He reached the 100 point mark in only 30 career games and at a rate of 3.5 points per game. With his elite playmaking ability, Walker will surely continue to pile up the points this season.
Ethan Walker Career Statistics:
| Season |
Team |
GP |
G |
A |
Pts |
| 2022 |
Georgia |
10 |
8 |
22 |
30 |
| 2023 |
Albany |
17 |
26 |
30 |
56 |
| 2023-24 |
Albany |
3 |
7 |
13 |
20 |
|
Total |
30 |
41 |
65 |
106 |
The FireWolves will return to action on the road against the Saskatchewan Rush on Sunday, December 31 at 8 pm ET. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+, TSN+, and locally on MY4.
Single game tickets for the 2023-2024 FireWolves season are available now! Join us for Country Night on January 6 at MVP Arena and experience FireWolves lacrosse. For more information regarding tickets, visit www.AlbanyFireWolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-362-4900.
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 15 franchises across the United States and Canada: Albany FireWolves, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, Las Vegas Desert Dogs, New York Riptide, Panther City Lacrosse Club (TX), 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 National Arena League and the Division I Men’s College Basketball Siena Saints. For more information, please visit https://www.mvparena.com/.
