NLL Oshawa FireWolves

Game 11 Matchup Preview - FireWolves at Rock

Published on March 8, 2023 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Oshawa FireWolves News Release


The Albany FireWolves (2-8) are back on the road this weekend to face the Toronto Rock (9-3) on Saturday, March 11, at 7:00 p.m. Toronto is coming off a two-game weekend after defeating the Rochester Knighthawks on Saturday and falling to the Philadelphia Wings on Monday. The Rock were riding an eight-game win streak before having it snapped by the Wings despite having nearly twice as many shots on goal as Philadelphia. Albany fell short last weekend as Georgia scored on their first possession in overtime. This will be the first time the FireWolves face the Rock this season, and Albany will look for a big road win against the second-place team in the East playing on a short week. This weekend's game can be watched on My4 Albany or ESPN Plus.

FireWolves Players to Watch:

Jake Fox was acquired just days before Albany's last game a weekend ago. The three-year veteran made his name known early to Capital Region fans as he buried a behind-the-back shot to open the scoring for Albany against Georgia in Saturday's defeat. Fox has now played eight games this year between Panther City and Albany and has scored five goals along with three assists. The FireWolves have struggled to score to this point in the season, so Albany will certainly lean on Fox to assimilate to the offense quickly and be another weapon to hopefully help the FireWolves begin to rack up more goals.

Thomas Vaesen is another mid-season acquisition for the FireWolves and someone else that the team will look to for some instant offense down the stretch. Last weekend, the young forward contributed one goal and one assist, and was one of five FireWolves to score multiple points in the contest. Both of his points were in big moments as his goal was to tie the game at three before halftime, and his assist was to Kieran McArdle who pushed Albany's fourth quarter lead to two. Like Fox, Vaesen has the ability to be another threat to score on any possession and can become another weapon in Albany's arsenal as they continue to gel and figure out their offense.

Doug Jamieson was simply a brick wall last weekend despite the team falling short in overtime. It was the third time this season the goaltender recorded at least 50 saves, and he tied the team-high of 52 set by Justin Geddie. Every time the Swarm were on a power play, it seemed Jamieson came up with multiple stops. In fact, Georgia was only able to capitalize on two out of seven man-up opportunities. With the offense struggling to score, Jamieson did his part to keep the FireWolves in a position to win. Things don't get any easier with the next game being against one of the best in the East, and the FireWolves will hope Jamieson maintains his momentum and continues to be the backbone of their stout defense.

Opposing Players to Watch:

Tom Schreiber has been nothing short of a beast this season. Currently, the forward leads the Rock with 80 total points on the year, and ranks third overall in the NLL. Schreiber leads his club in goals (34) and assists (46) as well, good for second and tied for fourth in the league, respectively. In the two games over the weekend, Schreiber compiled 10 total points on three goals and seven assists. Albany has an opportunity here to take advantage of a potentially tired team and must do all they can on defense to limit Schreiber in their efforts to snap a six-game skid.

Corey Small may be 23 total points behind Schreiber, but he has put together a respectable season with 57 points on a nearly even 28 goals and 29 assists. He ranks second on the club in total points and goals, and sits third on the team in assists. He is coming off a four-goal weekend and will certainly pose another challenge for the FireWolves defensive unit. The veteran has proven he can rack up a ton of points, and even cleared 100 back in 2017. Small and Schreiber have been a lethal one-two punch all year and Albany's defense cannot afford to lose sight of either of them in this one.

Nick Rose is a veteran goaltender who is having himself one of his best seasons to date. Through 12 games, Rose has allowed just 106 goals - an impressive 9.06 GAA. On top of that, he boasts an 80% save percentage, tied for second in the league, and is fourth overall with 436 saves. He has been the rock (pun intended) of the Toronto defense all season long as opposing teams have reached double figures just six times this year on Rose. Toronto's offense has proven capable of scoring a lot of goals, so Albany must find ways to beat Rose early and often in this one to upset the Rock.

This will be the first of two times that Albany and Toronto face each other in the regular season. The two teams will meet again in two weeks in the Capital Region.

Fans can secure their tickets now for Albany's next home game on Saturday, March 25 against the Rock! For more information regarding tickets and Season Ticket Member Appreciation night, visit www.AlbanyFireWolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-362-4900.

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