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NLL Albany FireWolves

Albany FireWolves Advance to NLL Finals with 13-10 Win over San Diego Seals

May 5, 2024 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Albany FireWolves News Release


Albany FireWolves forward Sam Firth reacts after a goal against the San Diego Seals
Albany FireWolves forward Sam Firth reacts after a goal against the San Diego Seals
(Albany FireWolves)

Albany, NY - The Albany FireWolves have done the improbable. In one of the greatest turnarounds the National Lacrosse League (NLL) has ever seen, the FireWolves have gone from 3-15 and last place a season ago to advancing to the 2024 NLL Championship.

The FireWolves will face their New York State rivals the Buffalo Bandits in a best-of-three series in the NLL Championship. Game 1 is set for Friday, May 17 at 7 pm ET in Albany at MVP Arena and Game 2 will be played the next day in Buffalo at KeyBank Center on Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 pm. If necessary, Game 3 will be in Albany at MVP Arena on Friday, May 24 at 7 pm ET.

This magical run starts with Head Coach & General Manager Glenn Clark who is the architect of this team as he brought in young talent and rebuilt the offense with top draft picks like Alex Simmons and Tye Kurtz. That high-powered offense is complimented by their veteran defense and goalie Doug Jamieson who has had a goalie of the year type season. But most of all this is a team that never backs down and has proven every single doubter wrong.

The FireWolves downed the Halifax Thunderbirds in the opening round of the playoffs and have now swept the San Diego Seals in the Semifinals in two games. In their third season in the city of Albany, the youngest team in the league is now playing for the NLL Cup as they continue their incredible journey.

The rookies led the way in Game 2 of the Semifinals for the FireWolves in scoring as Tye Kurtz finished with 9 pts (3g, 6a) and Alex Simmons added 7 pts (3g, 4a) to his playoff total 19 points in three games. Scoring was rounded out by Ethan Walker 6 pts (2g, 4a), Travis Longboat 3 goals, Sam Firth 3 pts (1g, 2a), and Colton Watkinson scored 1 goal. Goalie Doug Jamieson had another fantastic game with 51 saves on 61 shots and the FireWolves got great games from defenders like Joe Nardella, John Wagner, and Jackson Nishimura.

The game began with San Diego scoring the first two goals to put the FireWolves on their heels, but with they did not back down as the Seals tried to use physical play to slow down this fast and furious FireWolves squad. Simmons continued his playoff heroics as he scored the FireWOlves first goal and got MVP Arena rocking. Albany followed it up soon after with a goal on the power play by Firth and a goal by Longboat to jump out to a 3-2 lead to end the first quarter.

The second quarter was hectic as Albany continued to set the tone with strong defensive stands and great offense pressure. The Seals would get the first goal of the quarter to tie it 3-3, but Kurtz quickly followed it up with a goal to give the FireWolves the lead back 4-3. The playoff intensity resulted in plenty of penalties from both sides, which allowed the FireWolves to score two straight on the power play as Walker and then Simmons found the back of the net to extedn their lead to 6-3. San Diego answered with a power play goal of their own to bring it to 6-4 on a fluky shot and then were able to sneak another shot in to close the gap to 6-5 to end a fast paced first half.

The second half showed that the youngest team in the league has already learned how to win big games in big moments. San Diego struck first in the third quarter to tie the game at 6-6, but the FireWolves offense would answer with a big run as Longboat would score twice and Kurtz found the net on a shorthanded goal to retake the lead 9-6. Albany would maintain the lead the rest of the way. San Diego would get one back on the power play, but Albany would respond with a Simmons power play goal to make it 10-7 to end the third quarter.

With the NLL Finals on the line, the FireWolves showed what they're made of in the fourth quarter and started with a Walker goal to bring the score to 11-7. The Seals would get another power play goal to close it to 11-8, but they would weather the storm with Kurtz' third goal a few minutes later to make it 12-8. The Seals made their final push and were able to score twice to keep it close at 12-10. San Diego pulled their goalie and it would take a few more huge defensive stands by the Albany defense to keep them at bay. After another stop by the defense FireWolves captain Colton Watkinson streaked down the floor to bury an empty net goal and send the MVP Arena into a frenzy.

The FireWolves defeated the Seals 13-10 to win the Semifinal series 2-0 and claim their well-earned spot in the NLL Championship.

Next up for the FireWolves is Game 1 of the NLL Championship in Albany at MVP Arena on Friday, May 17 at 7 pm ET. Game 2 will be played the next day in Buffalo at KeyBank Center on Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 pm.

Tickets for Game 1 at MVP Arena will go on sale this week. Stay tuned for more details on www.albanyfirewolves.com.

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Images from this story

Albany FireWolves forward Sam Firth reacts after a goal against the San Diego Seals
Albany FireWolves forward Sam Firth reacts after a goal against the San Diego Seals
   



National Lacrosse League Stories from May 5, 2024


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