FireWolves Fall to Bandits in NLL Finals
May 18, 2024 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Albany FireWolves News Release
Albany FireWolves on game night
(Albany FireWolves)
BUFFALO, NY - The storybook 2023-24 National Lacrosse League (NLL) season for the Albany FireWolves has come to an end. The Buffalo Bandits overpowered the youngest team in the NLL to win Game 2 of the NLL Finals and claim the NLL Cup for the second season in a row.
The FireWolves fought and clawed all the way until the final seconds of Game 2 as they put together one of the greatest turnaround seasons in NLL history. Albany finished with an overall record of 14-7 including the playoffs only one year after they finished with a last place record of 3-15.
Every member of the FireWolves contributed to a resilient effort in front of a full KeyBank Center in a hard-fought and exciting final game of the NLL season. In their first ever NLL Finals appearance, the FireWolves showed that they belong with two very close games.
Sam Firth led Albany in scoring with a career-high 5 goals and also added 2 assists for 7 points. NLL Rookie of the Year Alex Simmons contributed 7 pts (3 goals, 4 assists) as his 32 playoffs points are a new playoff record for a rookie. Scoring was rounded out by Travis Longboat with 4 pts (3g, 1a), Tye Kurtz with 4 pts (1g, 3a), Ethan Walker with 5 pts (5a), and Patrick Kaschalk with 1 goal. Doug Jamieson finished with 36 saves on 51 shots on goal.
The Bandits took the lead by five or more goals a few times during the game, but each time the FireWolves were able to cut the lead and were only down by one goal at 9-8 at the start of the third quarter. The Albany defense withstood the punches thrown by Buffalo's star-studded offense and kept them in the fight the whole game. Players like Firth and Longboat stepped up to score big momentum shifting goals and the whole offense never backed down no matter what the score was.
The 2023-24 Albany FireWolves will go down as a team that shocked the lacrosse world and has lit a fire in the city of Albany with their connection to the community and their passion every time they stepped on the turf.
The future is bright for the youngest team in the league with more talented draft picks and players joining a team with tremendous character and talent.
Thank you to all the coaches, players, staff, fans and people that made this incredible season possible. Go FireWolves!
Images from this story
 Albany FireWolves on game night |
National Lacrosse League Stories from May 18, 2024
- 'It Takes a Whole Team to Win a Championship': Bandits Rally Together to Win 2nd Straight NLL Cup - Buffalo Bandits
- FireWolves Fall to Bandits in NLL Finals - Albany FireWolves
- Bandits Win 6th NLL Championship; Byrne Named 2024 Finals MVP - Buffalo Bandits
- Bandits Win 6th NLL Championship; Byrne Named 2024 Finals MVP - Buffalo Bandits
- Buffalo Bandits Repeat as National Lacrosse League Champions and Capture NLL Cup - NLL
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