Las Vegas Desert Dogs WIN, 16-13, in Front of SELLOUT Crowd on Gretzky Night
Published on January 31, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Las Vegas Desert Dogs News Release
LAS VEGAS - A sellout crowd at Lee's Family Forum on Gretzky night was treated to an exciting matchup between the Las Vegas Desert Dogs (4-3) and the Oshawa FireWolves (2-7). In a high-scoring battle, the Desert Dogs outlasted the FireWolves 16-13, moving above .500 for the first time in team history. The night was capped off by another milestone, as goaltender Landon Kells surpassed 3,000 career minutes between the pipes in the NLL.
Oshawa got on the board first, but Connor Kirst answered right back with a give-and-go finish off an excellent pass from Jonathan Donville. The FireWolves responded, as Kyle Killen found the back of the net to spark an energetic opening stretch. The game was tied 2-2 halfway through the first quarter. Then the FireWolves capitalized on a power-play opportunity, scoring from behind the net, then followed it up with another goal shortly after to take the lead. Adam Poitras snapped the momentum by collecting a rebound and burying it past the Oshawa goaltender. Moments later, Jackson Webster absolutely sniped one home to tie the game 4-4 at the end of the first quarter.
The FireWolves opened the second quarter with a goal, and scoring was hard to come by for much of the period. The Desert Dogs finally broke through thanks to Chris Cloutier, who slid the ball five-hole to knot the score at five apiece. Oshawa would tally another late in the quarter to regain the lead. After a high-scoring first, the game shifted into a more defensive second, with the Desert Dogs trailing 6-5 at halftime.
The third quarter turned into a goal-fest. Mitch Jones scored twice, while Chris Cloutier added two more to complete his hat trick. Kyle Killen also tallied another for Oshawa, and the FireWolves found the back of the net four times in the quarter. After the offensive explosion, the game was all tied at 10-10 heading into the final frame.
It was winner-take-all in the fourth quarter, and the Desert Dogs struck first with two goals from Mitch Jones. The FireWolves answered with a pair of their own to tie the game at 12-12. Oshawa and Las Vegas then traded goals, with Killen scoring for the Desert Dogs. Donville followed, and Poitras quickly added another to restore a two-goal lead at 15-13. Donville sealed the win with a breakaway goal, as the Desert Dogs capped off an absolute classic inside Lee's Family Forum with a 16-13 victory.
The Desert Dogs hit the road and head down south for a battle against the Georgia Swarm on Saturday, February 7 at 4:30 PM PST. You can watch the game on Fox 5, ESPN+, NLL+, YouTube TV, and the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network.
The Desert Dogs will be back home on February 13 for a matchup against the Colorado Mammoth as part of our Rock the Box Night, featuring MINIKISS presented by FOX5!
LVDD TOP THREE SCORERS
#16 Mitch Jones - 9 points (4G, 5A)
#3 Jonathan Donville - 8 points (2G, 6A)
#25 Chris Cloutier - 7 points (2G, 8A)
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