It's Win-And-You're-In for the Seals this Friday Night When They Host Albany in Their NLL Regular-Season Finale

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NLL San Diego Seals

It's Win-And-You're-In for the Seals this Friday Night When They Host Albany in Their NLL Regular-Season Finale

April 15, 2025 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
San Diego Seals News Release


It's come down to Game 18 for the San Diego Seals (8-9) and it's a win-and-you're-in rematch against the Albany FireWolves (7-10) with the playoffs on the line this Friday night (April 18) at Pechanga Arena. Faceoff is 7:30 p.m. PT.

For the Seals, it's an opportunity to exorcise the demon that's been the FireWolves, who've won the last three head-to-head meetings, including two playoff wins at the end of last season to go along with last Saturday's 12-10 win at the MVP Arena in Albany.

Friday night will be Fan Appreciation Night at Pechanga Arena. T ickets to the Seals-FireWolves game start at just $15 and are available at https://sealslax.com/. The first 4,000 fans into the Arena on Friday night will receive a Seals-themed Beach Tote Bag; it will be $5 Beer Night featuring the team's signature brew, Salty's Golden Crown by Mason Ale Works, and following the game, players will sign autographs on the field for all fans 14-and-under.

When the Seals are at home, Pechanga Arena, aka "The Electric Factory," is one of the toughest arenas to play in for opposing teams in the National Lacrosse League and the team will need its fans to be at their loudest come Friday night. The Seals are 5-3 at home this season and they've won eight of their last 11 regular-season games at Pechanga Arena. And since the start of the 2022-23 season, San Diego is 20-6 in regular-season games played inside The Electric Factory.

And for those unable to make it to Pechanga Arena on Friday night, the g ame will be broadcast locally in San Diego on KUSI-TV and streamed to a global audience on ESPN+.

San Diego and Albany have followed similar trajectories this season. The Seals started their season 3-5 and then won 5-of-6. They come into Friday night's game however having lost three straight, but all three of those losses came during an arduous four-week stretch in which the Seals have played road games in consecutive weekends at Calgary, Rochester (N.Y.), Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Albany. And on the opposite side, the FireWolves started their season 2-8 but have since won five of their last seven.

At 8-9, the Seals are in a dogfight to qualify for the NLL Playoffs, but they can earn their way in with a win on Friday night. Five teams have already clinched playoff spots (Buffalo, Saskatchewan, Halifax, Rochester and Vancouver) while seven teams are vying for the final three spots. Calgary (8-8) currently sits in the sixth spot, but the Roughnecks have to play two games this coming weekend, while Georgia (8-9), the Seals (8-9), Ottawa (8-9), Colorado (8-9), Albany (7-10) and Philadelphia (7-10) each have one game remaining and are all in playoff contention. If the season were to end today, the Seals would make the playoffs as the No. 8 seed by virtue of holding tiebreaker advantages over Ottawa and Colorado.

Offense has been a strength of the Seals this season as they rank fourth in the NLL in goals scored (204). Forward and team captain Wes Berg has paced the team with 45 goals, which ranks third in the League, and he's scored 16 of those 45 goals in the team's last five games. Berg also has 37 assists, giving him 82 total points, which is second-most on the team. Berg has a tremendous supporting cast that includes fellow forwards Rob Hellyer (28 goals and 63 assists for a team-leading 91 points), Ben McIntosh (24G and 40A for 64 points, third on the team) and Ryan Benesch (24G and 39A for 63 points, fourth on the team). Meanwhile, transition man Zach Currier's 180 loose balls secured are third-most in the League and his 28 turnovers caused are tied for fourth. And with the ball on his stick, Currier's 45 points this season are fifth on the squad as he's scored 18 goals and registered 27 assists.

Expect the Seals to keep a close eye on Albany's two leading scorers, forwards Tye Kurtz and Alex Simmons, who combined for 14 points in last Saturday night's win. Kurtz led the way with a game-high six goals and three assists, while Simmons had a goal and four helpers. For the season, Simmons leads the team with 90 points on 34 goals and 56 assists while Kurtz is second with 82 points on 34 goals and 48 assists. Albany also gets solid offensive production from fellow forwards Ethan Walker (24G, 45A) and Dyson Williams (24G, 37A).

Seals-FireWolves Head-to-Head : Originally the New England Black Wolves, the franchise relocated to Albany prior to the 2021-22 season and re-branded as the FireWolves. The Seals have faced the franchise six times and are just 1-5 all-time. The Seals' lone victory in the series was a 14-7 win over the FireWolves on Jan. 20, 2024, at the MVP Arena.

Follow the Seals on Social Media : For the latest info on the Seals, visit https://www.sealslax.com/ and follow the team on social media at @SealsLax on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

Seals Head Coach and General Manager Patrick Merrill

Seals Head Coach and General Manager Patrick Merrill owns a career regular-season won-loss ledger of 61-40 (.604) since joining the Seals in 2018. He has guided the Seals to the playoffs in each of the four full seasons he's been at the helm.

Milestones on the Horizon - (Regular Season Only - stats according to NLL.com)

- Ryan Benesch (577 career goals) needs 23 more to reach 600 for his career.

- Benesch (784 career assists) needs 16 more to reach 800 for his career.

- Benesch (1,361 career points) needs 39 more to reach 1,400 for his career.

- Benesch (1,397 career loose ball recoveries) needs 3 more to reach 1,400 for his career.

- Wes Berg (277 career goals) needs 23 more to reach 300 for his career.

- Berg (396) career assists) needs 4 more to reach 400 for his career.

- Berg (673 career points) needs 27 more to reach 700 for his career.

- Rob Hellyer (563 career assists) needs 37 more to reach 600 for his career.

- Hellyer (864 career points) needs 36 more of those too to reach 900 for his career.

- Cam Holding (1,190 career loose ball recoveries) needs 10 more to reach 1,200 for his career.

- Holding (93 career assists) needs 7 more to reach 100 for his career.

- Kyle Rubisch (97 career points) needs 3 to reach 100 for his NLL career.

- Trevor Baptiste (1,608 career faceoff wins) ranks 9 th all-time in NLL history and he needs 43 more to move past Stephen Hoar (1,650) and into 8 th on the all-time list.

Honors and Awards

Seals goaltender Chris Origlieri was recently named as a 2024 Star of the Year by the San Diego Sports Association. Origlieri, who finished the 2023-24 season with the National Lacrosse League's second-lowest goals against average (9.79) among starting netminders was honored at the 77 th Annual Salute to the Champions Dinner in San Diego on Jan. 13.

A Closer Look at the Seals 2024-25 Additions

- Now in his 12 th NLL season, Rob Hellyer joined the Seals during free agency and he leads the team this season with 91 points on 28 goals and a team-leading 63 assists. He had a season-high nine assists in the Seals' 16-12 win at Calgary on March 22. Hellyer's impressive regular season resume includes 301 career goals and 563 assists for 864 career points. He's also secured 785 loose balls while playing in 176 career regular-season games. Hellyer also brings valuable playoff experience to San Diego as well having suited up in 14 career postseason games where he's scored 18 goals and chalked up 39 assists for 57 additional points. The 30 th overall pick in the 2010 NLL Draft by the Toronto Rock, Hellyer spent the 2023-24 season in Las Vegas after spending his first 10 NLL seasons in Toronto.

- Ben McIntosh : McIntosh, the number one overall pick by Edmonton in the 2014 NLL Draft, joined the Seals as well via free agency after spending the last two seasons playing for Philadelphia. McIntosh brings a wealth of offensive prowess to the Seals as he's scored 336 career regular-season goals and racked up 314 assists (650 career points), while scooping up 646 loose balls in just his ninth NLL regular season (168 career games). McIntosh's playoff ledger is just as impressive as in 19 career postseason games, he's scored 35 goals and recorded 31 assists (66 points) to go along with 72 loose balls secured. Originally drafted by Edmonton, McIntosh's first eight NLL seasons were spent in Edmonton (2015), Saskatchewan (2016-20) and Philadelphia (2022-24).

- Zach Currier : Currier joined the Seals as part of a blockbuster trade with Calgary in July and he ranks third the NLL this season in loose balls secured (180) and he's tied for fourth in caused turnovers (28). Currier scooped up a season-high 14 loose balls in the Seals win over Buffalo on Feb. 15 that ended the Bandits' 16-game winning streak. He repeated the feat in the Seals' 20-11 win over Las Vegas on March 16. The third overall pick in the 2017 NLL Draft, Currier won a championship with Calgary in 2019. He's a two-time NLL Transition Player of the Year as well as a two-time All-NLL first-team and second-team selection. Including playoffs, Currier has played in 127 career games, scoring 68 goals while registering 118 assists (186 career points). He's also scooped up 1,457 loose balls during his career (regular season and playoffs combined) and in 2022, he set the NLL single-season mark with 62 caused turnovers (playoffs and regular-season combined).

- One of the Seals' early offseason acquisitions, Ryan Benesch had pondered retirement before signing a one-year deal with the Seals and he wasted no time making a big impression on his new team with a nine-point night in his first game as a Seal with five goals and four assists. He scored four more in the Seals' game against Georgia on Dec. 21 and three against Las Vegas on Jan. 18 and Vancouver on March 7. The 19-year NLL veteran is a two-time All-Pro and one of the most prolific scorers in League history. He was also the first overall pick by San Jose in the 2006 NLL entry draft. All-time including playoffs, Benesch has appeared in 308 career games, he's scored 616 goals and racked up 835 assists for 1,451 total points. Benesch was traded to Toronto by San Jose in 2006 and played there for two seasons before moving on to play for Edmonton (2009), Minnesota (2010-13), Buffalo (2014-17), Colorado (2018-19), Rochester (2019), Halifax (2020 and '23), Albany (2022) and Panther City (2022).

- Trent DiCicco : The first of the Seals' three first-round picks in last September's NLL Draft, DiCicco scored his first NLL goal in the Seals' Dec. 7 game at Georgia and he had a team-leading three assists in the Seals' Feb. 1 outing against Saskatchewan. A four-year letterman at Ohio State University, DiCicco was a team captain as a senior and he was the team's hammer recipient in 2023-24, an honor that is bestowed upon a senior leader in the Buckeyes' weight room each offseason. The Guelph, Ontario native played 47 career games at OSU, tallying 88 ground balls, 17 points and 10 caused turnovers.

- Pat Kavanagh : Recipient of the 2024 Tewaaraton Award as collegiate lacrosse's most outstanding player, Kavanagh made his long-awaited NLL debut last Saturday night at Albany and he too wasted no time making an impression as he scored his first career goal and recorded two assists against the FireWolves. Competing as a grad student in 2024, Kavanagh led Notre Dame to a second straight National Championship while scoring a career-high and team-leading 80 points in helping the Fighting Irish post a 16-1 record. Kavanagh was named the Atlantic Coast Conference's Offensive Player of the Year, while also earning All-America honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) and All-ACC accolades.

- Dylan Watson : Just prior to their game against Las Vegas on Jan. 18, the Seals acquired Watson i n a trade with the Desert Dogs and Watson scored a goal in his first game as a Seal. Watson had a season-high six points (3 goals and 3 assists) in the Seals' Feb. 22 game against Buffalo. A second-year NLL pro, Watson was the Desert Dogs' fifth-leading scorer as a rookie during the 2023-24 season, having tallied 19 goals and 16 assists (35 total points) while appearing in all 18 games. He also showed tenacity, securing 42 loose balls.

Seals Top Returnees

- Seals Team Captain Wes Berg finished the 2023-24 regular season with 108 points, second-most in a season in team history, behind the 109 he scored during the 2022-23 season. His 108 points were sixth-most in the NLL. Berg's 67 assists led the team and were tied for seventh in the NLL, while his 41 goals were second on the team and tied for 12th in the League.

- Goalkeeper Chris Origlieri finished the 2023-24 season with the National Lacrosse League's second-lowest goals against average (9.79) among starting netminders. He played the third-most minutes in the League, a team-record 1,059:57; he recorded the NLL's fifth-highest save percentage among starters (79%), also a team record, and he finished the year ninth in the League with 661 saves on the season. "Rigs'" 13 wins as the Seals' starting goaltender were also a team record.

- Defenseman Kyle Rubisch led the Seals and ranked 7th in the NLL a season ago with a team-record 29 takeaways.

- Trevor Baptiste, the renowned faceoff specialist, finished third in the NLL in faceoff wins last season, his first in San Diego, with a team-record 308. Baptiste's 71% faceoff win percentage ranked third in the League among players with at least 250 faceoffs taken. Baptiste also set a team single-season record for loose balls secured (177), a figure which ranked 3rd in the NLL.

Game Summaries

Game 1 vs. Philadelphia: In a high-scoring affair that featured 33 combined goals, the Seals bounced back from an early 5-1 deficit to knock off the Philadelphia Wings, 18-15, in their 2024-25 National Lacrosse League opener on at Pechanga Arena. It was a fast and furious first quarter that saw the Seals and Wings combine for 12 goals as Philadelphia staked out to an 8-4 lead. San Diego struck first with veteran newcomer Ryan Benesch scoring his first goal as a Seal before the Wings went on a five-goal run. Down 5-1 with 4:34 left in the first quarter, Benesch halted the Philadelphia run with a goal that trickled thru the legs of Wings goaltender Nick Damude. Zach Currier and Ben McIntosh each scored their first goals as Seals just 42 seconds apart during the opening quarter. The second period was all Seals as they outscored the Wings 7-1, including four power play goals, to claim an 11-9 edge at the break. Rob Hellyer scored his first three goals as a Seal, including one on the power play on a beautiful pass from Wes Berg. Midway thru the period, Berg scored his first goal of the season on a pass from Benesch during a power play and 1:44 later, Berg returned the favor, finding an open Benesch for his third of the night, also on the power play, to draw the Seals within one at 9-8. After another Philadelphia penalty, McIntosh tied the game at 9-9 off a nice assist from the Seals top pick in the 2024 NLL Draft, Trent DiCicco. At the 1:38 mark, Berg went behind the back to Hellyer to give the Seals a lead 10-9, their first since they led 1-0 early in the contest and McIntosh netted his third with 50.2 left in the half for the final goal of the opening 30 minutes. The teams combined for seven goals in the third period with San Diego outscoring the Wings 4-3 to stretch their lead to 15-12. Benesch scored twice more, his fourth and fifth of the night, while Adam Noakes and Eli Gobrecht both scored their first of the season for the Seals, with Gobrecht's coming on a runout after a long pass from goalkeeper Chris Origlieri. There was a pivotal moment late in the third period when Rubisch was whistled for a five-minute major penalty for high-sticking, but the Seals put up a wall on defense and held the Wings scoreless while scoring a goal of their own shorthanded 51 seconds into the fourth with Tre Leclaire scoring off a pass from DiCicco. The Seals would go on to play the Wings even in the fourth period with both teams scoring three goals apiece. The Seals' final scores coming from McIntosh, who logged his fourth of the night and Drew Belgrave, who scored into an empty net with 3:13 left in the contest.

Game 2 at Georgia : For the second year in a row, the Seals and Georgia Swarm required extra time to settle matters, but this time it was the Swarm who came out on top as Andrew Kew's goal 2:55 into overtime gave the Swarm a 13-12 win in their season opener at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia. It was a high-scoring and back and forth affair early that saw the teams combine for 17 goals in the first 30 minutes. The Seals scored a pair in the first period before adding seven in the second to jump out to a 9-8 lead at halftime. Among those seven was a goal by Trent DiCicco, the Seals' top pick in the 2024 NLL Draft, which was his first professional NLL goal. Rob Hellyer accounted for three of the Seals' first half goals while Wes Berg chipped in with a pair. The Seals jumped out to an 11-8 lead 1:29 into the third quarter but Georgia scored the next three and the game was tied 11-11 going into the fourth. The score remained as such until the 9:24 mark of the fourth when Ryan Benesch ended a 19-minute scoring drought for San Diego with his second goal of the night to give the Seals a 12-11 lead. With just over four minutes left in regulation, Seth Oakes scored for the Swarm to tie the game at 12 apiece. That goal was Georgia's first in more than 13 minutes as they too endured a long scoring drought. Neither team would score again in the fourth, setting up the overtime finish. Notable: Wes Berg scored four points against the Swarm to reach the 600-point plateau for his career. Ben McIntosh had 4 loose ball recoveries to reach 600 for his career. Kyle Rubisch had nine loose ball recoveries to up his career total to 1,707 on route to becoming just the eighth player in NLL history with at least 1,700. Zach Currier scooped up 11 loose balls giving him an even 1,300 for his career.

Game 3 vs. Colorado : The Seals continued their dominance over Colorado but had to hold on late for a hard-fought 14-11 win at Pechanga Arena. Wes Berg had a stellar night for the Seals with a team-leading seven points on four goals and three assists. After being tied 3-3 at the end of the first quarter, the Seals outscored the Mammoth 7-2 in the second to jump out to a 10-5 lead at halftime. Berg and Kyle Jackson, who was making his season debut, both netted three first-half goals while Zach Currier scored a pair. The most impressive goal of the first half though was scored by Danny Logan at the end of the first quarter. With time winding down in the quarter, the Mammoth pulled goaltender Dillon Ward to gain a man advantage, but Colorado's shot with seconds remaining in the half missed the net and was rebounded up by Logan, who fired a length of the field shot into an empty Mammoth net sending Pechanga Arena into a frenzy. Logan did it again late in the Seals' three-goal third period, scoring on the run out, beating Ward one-on-one after taking a long pass from goaltender Chris Origlieri. Down five heading into in the fourth, Colorado closed to within two at 13-11 before Eli Gobrecht's goal with 25.8 seconds remaining sealed the win for the Seals. Notable : Origlieri recorded 32 saves against the Mammoth, passing the 1,000 career save mark in the process.

Game 4 vs. Georgia : Despite getting four goals from Ryan Benesch, the Seals fell to the Georga Swarm, 11-8, at Pechanga Arena. It was a low-scoring game that was tied 4-4 at halftime before Georgia outscored the Seals 3-1 in the third quarter to jump out to a 8-5 lead. Early in the fourth, the Seals climbed to within a goal at 8-7 after Ben McIntosh's goal with 9:32 remaining, but Georgia countered with a pair of goals in a 2:45 stretch to jump back ahead 10-7. Benesch scored his fourth goal of the night for the Seals on a power play with 5:12 left in the fourth to make it a two-goal game, which it remained until Georgia added an empty netter with 47 seconds left as they closed out the win.

Game 5 vs. Ottawa : In a tight, low-scoring, defensive affair, the Seals picked up a key 6-5 win over the Ottawa Black Bears at Pechanga Arena and in the process, they become the first team in NLL history to win a game when scoring just six goals. The Seals' defense and goaltender Chris Origlieri were the story of the night as the team held Ottawa scoreless for the final 37:02 of regulation, while Origlieri made 31 saves. It was a 2-2 game after one quarter. The Seals goals were scored by a spinning Ben McIntosh at the top of the crease 1:24 into the contest, and Rob Hellyer who scored on the power play off a nice feed from Wes Berg at the 5:39 mark. The Seals added another pair in the second but were outscored by Ottawa 3-2 in the period and trailed 5-4 at the break. Both Seals goals were scored by players who netted their first of the season. Graydon Bradey scored first, 3:28 into the quarter before Matt Wright put one in 24 seconds later. Wright's was also the first of his career. San Diego came out of the locker room roaring after halftime and the Seals were consistent, scoring another pair in the third. Just 40 seconds into the quarter, Berg took a beautiful pass from Hellyer and scored on a diving shot down the middle to tie the game at 5-5 and just 58 seconds later, Berg did it again with a shot from the top of the crease to put the Seals up 6-5.

Game 6 at Vancouver : A defensive battle for three quarters turned into an offensive shootout in the fourth and the Seals came up on the short end, falling 11-9 to the Vancouver Warriors at the Rogers Center in British Columbia, Canada. After combining for just nine goals in the game's opening three quarters, the teams dropped the gloves and tallied 11 in the fourth and final quarter, but eight of those were scored by the Warriors, including a game-high six by forward Keegan Bal, all in that fourth and final period. A 6-3 game heading into the fourth quarter, Vancouver scored twice in the first 3:57 to climb within a goal at 6-5. Ryan Benesch halted the Warrior run on a run down the middle, taking a nice feed from Cam Holding and beating Warriors' goalie Aden Walsh low on the stick side to put the Seals back on top by two, 7-5. Vancouver came back however and went on a 4-0 run to jump ahead 9-7 with 4:33 left in the game. Holding put an end to the run, coming up with a loose ball near midfield and putting it into the net unassisted to draw the Seals back within one at 9-8. Still down a goal, and a player, after Wes Berg was called for a holding penalty with 2:01 left in fourth, Seals Head Coach Patrick Merrill made a gutsy decision to pull goaltender Chris Origlieri to draw to even strength and Rob Hellyer rewarded Merrill's faith, scoring a goal with 1:27 left to tie the game at 9-9. Still on the power play though, Bal scored his fifth of the night just 19 seconds later to put the Warriors back up, 10-9 and less than a minute after that, Bal dashed the Seals hopes of a comeback, scoring an empty netter with just 14 seconds left for the final goal of the night.

Game 7 at Las Vegas : The Seals fell to the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, 12-10, at the Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. The Seals trailed for most of the night, but climbed to within a goal (9-8) after three quarters before being outscored by the Desert Dogs, 3-2, over the final 15 minutes. Ryan Benesch had a team-high three goals for San Diego, including a pair of power play goals, while Rob Hellyer and Kyle Jackson, who was playing in his 100 th career NLL game, both scored twice. And Dylan Watson, who had just been acquired from Las Vegas days before the game, scored his first goal as a Seal in the second.

Game 8 vs Saskatchewan : A 7-0 halftime deficit was too much to overcome as the Seals fell to the Saskatchewan Rush, 12-8, at Pechanga Arena. The Seals fought back valiantly to make it a game in the third period, outscoring the Rush 5-2 to climb back within 9-5. Rookie Trent DiCicco was a bright spot for the Seals as he set up three straight goals in the quarter, including two to Ben McIntosh and another to Rob Hellyer. They, along with Zach Currier, all finished the night with two goals apiece to lead the team. Notable : Ryan Benesch played in his 281st career game, moving past former Seal Brodie Merrill for the 4 th -most games played all-time in NLL history.

Game 9 at Toronto : Seals team captain Wes Berg capped off a four-goal night with a game-winning goal with just 49 seconds left as the Seals ended a three-game losing streak with an 11-10 win over the Toronto Rock at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. For Berg, the game-winner was the 250 th goal of his illustrious career. Fellow forward Rob Hellyer, who was playing in his 150 th career regular-season game, co-starred in the victory as it was his goal with 1:16 left in the fourth that put a halt to a 5-0 Toronto run and tied the game at 10-10, setting up Berg's heroics. The Seals were in command for most of the game, holding leads of 2-1 after one period, 6-3 at halftime and 9-5 after three periods but the Rock caught fire in the fourth. They scored five unanswered goals in the first 7:59 before Seals goaltender Chris Origlieri settled down and didn't give up a goal the rest of the night as part of a 39-save effort. Notable : Berg's four goals were the most by either side, while Hellyer and Dylan Watson both scored twice. Three was the magic number in the assist category as Hellyer, Ryan Benesch, Eli Gobrecht, Ben McIntosh and Ty Thompson all tallied three on the night. Defensively, Zach Currier scooped up a game-high 13 loose balls, while Jesse Gamble, Matthew Wright and Gobrecht each forced a pair of turnovers among the 11 takeaways San Diego's defense recorded on the night.

Game 10 at Buffalo : Wes Berg's fifth goal of the night, 5:02 into overtime, sent shockwaves through Buffalo's KeyBank Center as the Seals ended Buffalo's 16-game winning streak with a 14-13 overtime victory. And Berg's heroics wouldn't have been possible were it not for Zach Currier's goal with six seconds left in the fourth quarter that tied the game at 13-13 and sent it into the extra session. For the second straight week, Seals goaltender Chris Origlieri came up clutch when the team needed him most. After surrendering a goal that gave Buffalo a 13-11 lead with 6:54 left in regulation, "Rigsy" didn't allow another over the next 11:56 as part of a 39-save effort. Berg's game winner against the Bandits capped a game-leading and season-high five goal night for the Seals captain. Currier backed up Berg's performance with a season-best three goals, while Rob Hellyer, Dylan Watson and Ben McIntosh each scored two goals apiece. Currier also paced a stout defensive performance for the Seals as he led the way with a season-best 14 loose balls secured against the Bandits, while he and Hellyer both had a team-high four of the Seals 20 caused turnovers.

Game 11 vs. Buffalo : The Seals and Bandits picked up right where they left off a week prior and it was another high-scoring affair with the Bandits coming out on top 13-12 at Pechanga Arena. The game was tight throughout as it featured 10 ties and six lead changes and Kyle Buchanan's goal with 4:25 left proved to be the game-winner for Buffalo. The Seals got a game-high four goals from Tre Leclaire, his fourth of which tied the game 12-12 with 4:49 left, while Buchanan paced Buffalo with three. Dylan Watson had a season-high six points on three goals and three assists for the Seals, while Wes Berg scored twice dished out four assists.

Game 12 vs. Vancouver : Wes Berg's goal with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter ended a 17:23 scoreless drought and propelled the Seals to a 13-11 win over the Vancouver Warriors at Pechanga Arena. The goal was Berg's game-leading fourth of the night. It was a 4-3 game after one quarter. Berg scored the first goal of the night just 25 seconds in before adding a power play goal midway through the quarter. Ryan Benesch scored the Seals' other first-quarter goal. The Seals outscored the Warriors 5-3 in the second to take an 8-7 lead at halftime. Five different Seals scored in the quarter. Zach Currier opened the scoring with a nifty backhanded goal just 38 seconds in. Forty-six seconds later, Dylan Watson rebounded his own miss and scored to give the Seals a 5-4 lead. Vancouver scored the game's next three goals over a 2:16 stretch before the Seals countered with a three-goal run of their own with goals from Ben McIntosh, Benesch and Berg's third of the night. And while forward Rob Hellyer didn't score a goal, he assisted on five of the Seals' eight first-half goals. The third quarter was all Seals as they outscored Vancouver 3-0 to surge ahead 11-7. Tre Leclaire was at the right place at the right time, scoring the first on a scoop-and-score, while Hellyer and Benesch both scored power play goals. Benesch's was his third of the night for the hat trick. While the third quarter was all Seals, the fourth quarter was all Warriors, at least in the early going. Vancouver scored 1:04 into the fourth quarter, ending a 24:33 scoreless stretch and proceeded to score 3 more unanswered over the next 4:04 to tie the contest 11-11. Goaltender Chris Origlieri settled back down and held Vancouver scoreless for the final 9:52, setting the stage for Berg's game-winner. Hellyer officially put it away with a driving goal with 37.5 left for the final score in the 13-11 win.

Game 13 vs. Las Vegas : It was a record-setting afternoon at Pechanga Arena that saw the Seals score a franchise-record 20 goals while cruising to a 20-11 win over the Desert Dogs. The Seals did it behind a pair of six-goal efforts from team captain and season goal-scoring leader Wes Berg and fellow forward Rob Hellyer. It marked the first time since 2009 that a pair of teammates each scored six goals in a National Lacrosse League game. For Hellyer, the six goals were one shy of his career high while for Berg, his six tied his career high. The Seals came roaring out of the gates, staking out to an early 4-0 lead just 3:53 into the contest. Ben McIntosh cracked the lid with a goal just 48 seconds in and Hellyer followed suit with another just 1:51 later. Seals defenseman Cam Holding joined the party 45 seconds after that, scooping up a loose ball and taking it the length-of-the-field and beating Desert Dogs goaltender Justin Geddie to give the seals a 3-0 lead. Hellyer scored the next three for the home side. Berg assisted on the last two, including a crafty backhanded pass to Hellyer on the power-play with 3:59 left in the first. Jake Govett capped the first quarter scoring for the Seals on a ball that trickled into the net off a nice feed from Zach Currier. Hellyer and Berg picked up right where they left off just 3:25 into the second as they combined for Hellyer's fifth goal of the game to put the Seals up 8-1. After a Las Vegas goal, Berg and rookie Trent DiCicco scored their first of the afternoon 13 seconds apart to put San Diego ahead 10-2. Just 1:59 later it was more Hellyer as the Seals forward scored his sixth of the afternoon for the "Sock Trick" that put the Seals on top 11-3. Hellyer's sixth goal was also the 300 th regular-season goal of his career. With 4:47 left in the second, Currier did just as Holding did earlier in the game, securing a loose ball and taking it the length of the field for a breakaway goal and a 12-3 lead. The Desert Dogs would score twice more, while Berg's second of the quarter, a quick-hitter off a pass from Ryan Benesch, put the Seals up 13-5 at the break. The third quarter got off to a rousing start with fists flying as Currier mixed it up with Las Vegas' Casey Jackson and DiCicco traded hands with Jackson Webster as part of a quarter that featured a combined 12 penalties & 38 penalty minutes. It also featured more scoring with San Diego outscoring Las Vegas 5-2 to stake ahead 18-7. Berg ignited the Seals with his third of the day while McIntosh scored his second with assists to Berg & Hellyer. Govett scored his second and third 2:38 seconds apart, the first off a rebound and the second off a behind-the-net pass from Hellyer. And Berg capped the scoring with a highlight-reel "around the world" shot set up by Hellyer to put the Seals up 18-7. The scoring pace slowed down in the fourth, but Berg tied and set the single-game team marks with goals at 12:22 and 6:14. The second came on the power play and was his sixth of the afternoon. The Seals' previous team record for goals in a game was 19, set against Rochester on March 7, 2020.

Game 14 at Calgary : Zach Currier had a memorable homecoming, leading the Seals to a 16-12 win over Calgary at the Scotiabank Saddledome. He scored a late third-quarter goal and two more in the fourth that turned an 11-10 game into a 14-11 Seals advantage with just 5:15 left in the contest. Wes Berg continued his hot streak, scoring a game-high five goals for the Seals, while Ben McIntosh scored three times to go along with seven assists. Rob Hellyer, the Seals' season-leader in assists had another big night in that category as he assisted on nine of the Seals' 16 goals. The teams combined for nine first-quarter goals, five for the Seals and four for the Roughnecks. Berg, the Seals' season goal-scoring leader, scored twice while McIntosh, Tre Leclaire and Jake Govett also found the back of the Calgary net. While the Seals outscored the Roughnecks by a goal in the first quarter, Calgary returned the favor in the second, outscoring the visitors 3-2 to send the teams into the locker room at halftime tied 7-7. During the quarter, Ryan Benesch scored to put the Seals up 6-4 before Calgary scored three unanswered to take a 7-6 lead, but Berg tied things up on a power play goal with 4:55 left in the second. Both teams' offenses came back to life in the third as they again combined for nine goals with the Seals again outscoring Calgary 5-4. During the opening 5:01 of the third quarter, Calgary went on a 3-1 run to jump ahead, 10-8. Two of the Roughnecks' three scores came on the power play. The Seals lone goal during the stretch came off the stick of McIntosh. The Seals responded with a run of their own, scoring four unanswered during a 4:28 stretch to re-take the lead, 12-10. Berg scored twice more, McIntosh scored another and Currier scored his first of the night. Calgary got a late goal from Jack Follows and the teams went to the final quarter with San Diego ahead 12-11. The fourth quarter was all Seals as they outscored the Roughnecks 4-1 to close out the win. Currier had the two aforementioned goals while Leclaire and Trent DiCicco also scored for the Seals.

Game 15 at Rochester : Ryan Smith's fifth goal of the night with just 11 seconds remaining erased a furious comeback by the Seals as the Knighthawks stunned the Seals, 14-13, at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York. Down 12-6 midway through the third period, the Seals staged a furious comeback and scored seven of the game's next eight goals to tie the game at 13-13 with 6:06 left in the fourth, but that would be all they could muster as Smith's goal saved the night for the Knighthawks. Rochester got the best of the Seals early on as it was a 5-3 game after one period with eight different players scoring goals. For the Seals, Zach Currier opened the scoring with a highlight-reel play, rebounding a Rob Hellyer shot that went over Knighthawks goalie Rylan Hartley's left shoulder and over the net and instinctively shooting over the top of the net and sneaking one in behind the unsuspecting Hartley. The Seals' other two goals came off the sticks of Tre LeClaire and Wes Berg, the latter from Berg coming on a power play. The Knighthawks outscored the Seals 4-2 in the second quarter to take a 9-5 halftime lead. Connor Fields and Ryan Smith both scored twice for Rochester while the Seals two goals were both scored on transition plays. Leclaire scored his second of the night picking up a long rebound off a Rochester shot and taking it the length of the field to score on a breakaway goal, while Trent DiCicco took a long pass from Seals' goaltender Chris Origlieri and hammered one in from just outside the crease, beating Hartley between the legs. Things started to get interesting in the third quarter. The Knighthawks outscored the Seals 3-1 over the first 6:28 to jump ahead 12-6 before the Seals went on a 4-0 run of their own to get within two. Ryan Benesch scored twice, including once on the power play, while Jake Govett scored a pair. After Govett's second goal that came with 4:15 remaining, the Knighthawks pulled Hartley and put Riley Hutchcraft between the pipes. Rochester got a goal from Thomas McConvey with 45 seconds left in the quarter to halt the Seals run but Leclaire answered 37 seconds later with his team-leading fourth of the night to get the Seals back within two at 13-11 heading into the fourth. The Seals kept it up in the fourth, drawing to within one after Berg picked up a rebound off a shot by Benesch and scored to get the Seals to within 13-12. With 7:52 left in the fourth, DiCicco was sent to the penalty box for a cross-checking penalty, but the Seals got the better of it as Govett scored his third of the night, a shorthanded goal off a pass from Currier that tied things up at 13-13. It was the game's first tie since 12:25 mark of the first quarter. Unfortunately for San Diego, the Knighthawks defense buckled down and held the Seals out of the net for the final 6:06 and Smith's goal won it for Rochester. Notable: Trevor Baptiste had 18 faceoff wins for the Seals to improve his career total to 1,582 and move past Bob Snider (1576) for 10 th on the NLL's all-time faceoff wins list.

Game 16 at Halifax : The Seals took their longest road trip of the season, traveling nearly 3,700 miles to Halifax, Nova Scotia, but came up on the short end, falling to the Thunderbirds, 13-10, at the Scotiabank Centre. San Diego got off to a fast start, scoring two goals in the opening 1:12 and five through the first quarter, but could not maintain the pace as they scored just five more over the final three quarters. The power play was a deciding factor in the game as well, as San Diego went just 2-of-7 with a man advantage, while Halifax was a perfect 3-for-3. The Seals led 5-3 after one quarter with five different players scoring goals. The Thunderbirds flipped the script in the second, outscoring the Seals 6-2 to take a 9-7 lead at the half. The scoring pace slowed dramatically in the third quarter with each team finding the back of the net just once and the game went to the fourth with Halifax up 10-8. The score remained as such for the opening 7:55 of the fourth before Halifax's Curtis Romanchych scored to give the Thunderbirds a 11-8 lead. A minute, 10 seconds later, Rob Hellyer scored for the Seals to get his team back within two, but Halifax countered with two late goals, including an empty netter by Clarke Petterson as they pulled away for the win. Ben McIntosh scored a game-high three goals for the Seals, while Wes Berg and Zach Currier both scored twice. Notable: The Halifax game marked the Seals' 100 th as a franchise. Ryan Benesch scored four points against the Thunderbirds to move past Josh Sanderson (1,357) and into a tie with Shawn Evans (1,358) for fifth place on the NLL's all-time regular-season points list.

Game 17 at Albany: Forward Tye Kurtz scored six goals and collected nine total points in leading Albany to a 12-10 win over the Seals at the MVP Arena in New York. Kurtz scored his sixth of the night in the fourth quarter, a quarter in which the FireWolves outscored San Diego 3-1, to break a 9-9 tie and claim the victory. The Seals dug themselves an early hole, falling behind 3-1 after surrendering a pair of power play goals, but they rallied with three late scores off the sticks of Jake Govett, Wes Berg and Ben McIntosh to lead 4-3 after one quarter. The teams played even-up in the second, scoring three goals apiece. The Seals were again outscored 3-1 to open the quarter, including allowing a short-handed goal, but they responded with two late goals to go to the locker room ahead 7-6 at halftime. Those two goals came courtesy of rookie Pat Kavanagh, who was making his long-awaited NLL debut and veteran forward Ryan Benesch. For Kavanagh, the goal was the first of his NLL career and for Benesch, he simply flung a shot toward the net as the shot clock was winding down and it slipped past unsuspecting FireWolves goaltender Doug Jamieson. Things got interesting in the third quarter as Albany outscored San Diego 3-2. The only goal scored during the opening 13:25 was Ben McIntosh's second of the night that allowed San Diego to jump ahead 8-6. Fast forward to the 1:35 mark of the third when Kurtz scored his second power play goal and fourth goal of the night to get Albany within one at 8-7, and just 18 seconds later off the ensuing faceoff, the FireWolves' Will Johansen picked up a loose ball outside the San Diego crease and scored to tie the game, 8-8. Just 16 seconds later and on the very next possession, Trent DiCicco scored unassisted to put the Seals back up 9-8, but with just 0.1 left in the quarter, Kurtz scored his fifth of the night off a long rebound from the side of the net and the teams went to the fourth all even at 9-9. The fourth quarter featured just one Seals goal, Govett's second of the night, while Albany got goals from former Seal Kyle Jackson, Kurtz and an empty-net power play goal by Nick Chaykowsky. Goaltender Chris Origlieri left the game early in the fourth with an undisclosed injury and was replaced in net by Mike Poulin. On the night, the Seals went 0-for-2 on the power play while Albany converted on four of their five chances in addition to scoring the above-mentioned short-handed goal.

San Diego Seals 2024-25 Regular-Season Schedule & Results (8-9)

Date Opponent Arena Theme Start Time TV / Final Score

Sunday, Dec. 1 PHILADELPHIA WINGS Pechanga Arena Opening Night 3:00 p.m. W, 18-15

Saturday, Dec. 7 at Georgia Swarm Gas South Arena 5:00 p.m. L, 12-13 (OT)

Friday, Dec. 13 COLORADO MAMMOTH Pechanga Arena Emo Night 7:30 p.m. W, 14-11

Saturday, Dec. 21 GEORGIA SWARM Pechanga Arena Heroes Night 7:00 p.m. L, 8-11

Saturday, Jan. 4 OTTAWA BLACK BEARS Pechanga Arena Country Night 7:00 p.m. W, 6-5

Friday, Jan. 10 at Vancouver Warriors Rogers Arena 7:00 p.m. L, 9-11

Saturday, Jan. 18 at Las Vegas Desert Dogs Lee's Family Forum 7:00 p.m. L, 10-12

Saturday, Feb. 1 SASKATCHEWAN RUSH Pechanga Arena Mexican Heritage Night 7:00 p.m. L, 8-12

Saturday, Feb. 8 at Toronto Rock Paramount Fine Foods Centre 4:00 p.m. W, 11-10

Saturday, Feb. 15 at Buffalo Bandits KeyBank Center 4:30 p.m. W, 14-13 (OT)

Saturday, Feb. 22 BUFFALO BANDITS Pechanga Arena Margaritaville Night 7:00 p.m. L, 12-13

Friday, March 7 VANCOUVER WARRIORS Pechanga Arena Stick Up for a Cure 7:30 p.m. W, 13-11

Sunday, March 16 LAS VEGAS DESERT DOGS Pechanga Arena Native American Heritage Day 1:30 p.m. W, 20-11

Saturday, March 22 at Calgary Roughnecks Scotiabank Saddledome 6:00 p.m. W, 16-12

Saturday, March 29 at Rochester Knighthawks Blue Cross Arena 4:00 p.m. L, 13-14

Saturday, April 5 at Halifax Thunderbirds Scotiabank Centre 3:00 p.m. L, 10-13

Saturday, April 12 at Albany FireWolves MVP Arena 4:00 p.m. L, 10-12

Friday, April 18 ALBANY FIREWOLVES Pechanga Arena Fan Appreciation Night 7:30 p.m. KUSI & ESPN+

All Times Pacific.

Check out the San Diego Seals Statistics



National Lacrosse League Stories from April 15, 2025


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