ALBANY, NY – With one minute left in the fourth quarter, Dyson Williams scored the game winning goal to lift the Albany FireWolves (5-9) over the Georgia Swarm (7-6) by a score of 11-10 in front of the largest crowd in FireWolves history at MVP Arena on Marvel Super Hero Night.
It was Doug Jamieson who was also clutch in the final minutes with a save that sealed the win as he made 44 saves on 54 shots of goal. Joe Nardella won 17 of 23 faceoffs and scooped up 10 loose balls in another great performance at the faceoff circle.
Scoring for the FireWolves was led by Ethan Walker who scored 1 goal and dished out 5 assists for 6 points on the night. Scoring was rounded out by Tye Kurtz with 4 points (2g, 2a), Alex Simmons with 4 points (1g, 3a), with 4 points (1g, 3a), Dyson Williams with 3 points (2g, 1a), Sam Firth with 2 goals, Patrick Kaschalk with 2 points (1g, 1a), and Nick Chaykowksy (1g, 1a).
View the full stats here: ALBANY VS GEORGIA
Watch the highlights below:
Dressed in Wolverine inspired uniforms for Marvel Super Hero Night, the FireWolves drew their largest crowd since the team relocated to Albany in 2021 as they honored many local real life super heroes in the military and first responders at the game through their Tickets For Heroes campaign.
The game began with Georgia striking first to take a 1-0 lead, but Albany would quickly respond with goals from Simmons and then Walker to take a 2-1 advantage. The Swarm would tie the game at 2-2 and the FireWolves would answer again with a breakaway goal by Chaykowsky and slick twister by Firth for them to retake the lead at 4-2 to end the first quarter.
The second quarter was action packed and gave the Albany crowd a show. In the first minute, Kurtz buried on a cut to the net and Georgia quickly answered in transition to bring the score to 5-3. It continued to be back and forth with Williams scoring on a dunk, the Swarm scoring in transition again, and Kaschalk firing a shot in to bring the score to 7-4. Next, Georgia scored two goals in a row to tighten the score at 7-6, but the FireWolves responded with a two-goal run of their own to extend their lead to 9-6. Off a timeout the Swarm would add one more goal to make it 9-7 at halftime.
In the second half, there was a rare scoreless quarter in the third quarter with both teams’ goalies and defenses locking it down to prevent any opportunities. The FireWolves penalty kill unit was spectacular as they blanked the Swarm power play unit that went 0-6 on extra man opportunities. Players like Will Johansen were instrumental with big loose balls and blocked shots to prevent any power play goals. The FireWolves defense even killed off a 5 on 3 situation as they worked very well as a unit. Jamieson was in the zone as he made huge saves to help with that great defensive stand.
The final quarter was a dramatic finish for the great crowd at MVP Arena. Jackson got the scoring going again to give Albany a 10-7 lead with 13 minutes to go. Georgia would not go quietly as they scored three straight goals to tie the game at 10-10. With just over a minute left in the game, the FireWolves got a power play opportunity and unlike games early in the season they made sure to finish the job in regulation. After great movement and picks, Williams ripped home the game winning shot and sent the FireWolves crowd into a frenzy as he gave them the 11-10 lead. However, Georgia would have one last shot to tie it with under 30 seconds to go and it was none other than Doug Jamieson who stepped up to make a save on a wraparound attempt and seal the 11-10 win for Albany.
Next up the FireWolves welcome the Buffalo Bandits to MVP Arena on Saturday, March 22 at 7 pm for an NLL Finals rematch and crucial game for Albany to keep their playoff chances alive.
Get tickets now for Celebrate 518 Presented By Fenimore Asset Management on March 22 at MVP Arena at 7 pm! The first 1,500 fans will receive a Doug Jamieson bobblehead.
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/
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