The Sweep is Sweet! On Sunday, May 5 the Albany FireWolves hosted the San Diego Seals in Game 2 of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) quarterfinals with Albany looking to complete the sweep of the Seals and advance to their first NLL finals in franchise history. After going 3-15 last season the FireWolves were looking to make what seemed impossible for such a young team, a reality and after a 10 point performance by rookie sensation Alex Simmons in Game 1 the FireWolves were in a great position to make that happen. Albany knew that if they were gonna complete the sweep of the Seals they needed to start fast and as the first faceoff happened Joe Nardella knew that as he was able to get the quick win and get the FireWolves set up in their offensive zone. However the Seals were not going to let this quick Albany start deter them and it was Tre Leclaire who would get the scoring started for San Diego to give them the lead they needed badly. Nardella would get yet another quick faceoff win for the FireWolves after the goal and this time he was able to run to the net and tie it up at the snap of a finger, however San Diego would challenge this goal and it was determined to not count keeping the Seals in front. After what seemed like a punch to the gut for the FireWolves on the no goal call, it only took the Seals 30 seconds after the Leclaire goal to make it 2-0.
Albany was looking to fight back for something on the scoreboard and it was rookie of the year front runner Simmons who got the crowd right back into it as he cut the Seals lead in half. When it came to last week’s quarterfinals matchup against Halifax the FireWolves saw a lot of struggle on the powerplay going 0/8 so Albany knew that when it came to any power play chance against the Seals, they needed to strike. In Game 1 they succeeded on the power play side, going 3/9, however when it came to Game 2 the FireWolves took every power play opportunity and made San Diego pay. With power play goals coming from Sam Firth, Ethan Walker, Travis Longboat and 2 from Simmons saw the FireWolves go 5/9 and finish the series at 8/18.
With Firth finding the net to tie the contest up showed how quickly Albany can snag momentum back, something they have been able to do all season and it was Longboat who took advantage of said momentum as he gave Albany their first lead of the day. As the second quarter was getting started the Seals once again tried to startfast paced to throw Albany off their game and after a 3 minute back and forth it was Leclaire who was able to score yet again and tie it up at three a piece. Tye Kurtz, who has been another outstanding rookie for Albany this season, was able to contribute immensely on the score sheet in the series clincher where he had a hat trick and 9 total points and he started putting the goals in the net during this quarter as he gave Albany a lead shortly after Leclaire’s goal.
As the FireWolves went on a streak of power play opportunities and goals, it was Dougie Jamieson who was stealing some of the show away from the high octane offense in front of him as he shut down multiple chances for the Seals, and as this game finished up it was Dougie who stood tall with 51 saves. With the second quarter winding down the Seals looked to shift the momentum as Dickson and Staats scored two late goals to make the second half a lot more interesting. With the third getting started it seemed as if the two late goals lit a fire under San Diego as Dane Dobbie was able to even everything up at six a piece. Yet shortly after that goal it was Longboat who was able to get his second of three goals on the night and give Albany the lead right back. With Game 2 continuing it was Tye Kurtz putting away a short handed goal for the FireWolves to build off the quick answer to the Seals goal. After this goal by Kurtz, it was Longboat who contributed to the flurry of goals happening as he was able to get the first of three Albany hat tricks with the other ones coming from Simmons and Kurtz. With the third coming to an end the FireWolves knew they needed to sink the dagger into the Seals, while the seals knew it was do or die time.
With the fourth starting the Seals needed to do anything they could to shutdown the FireWolves but Walker was looking to be the one to add the dagger yet the Seals kept on fighting. Anytime that Albany would find the net, San Diego would be right there to have an answer, keeping it within three goals the rest of the fourth. With two goals by Staats and one by Dobbie the Seals thought that the comeback was possible and a game three yet it was the captain Colton Watkinson who was able to put the dagger into the Seals, clinch the semifinals for the FireWolves and send his team to the NLL finals to take on the Buffalo Bandits. With the finals set to get underway next week, with Game 1 happening on Friday, May 17 at MVP Arena the FireWolves know that their run isn’t done yet. The Battle of I-90 looks to be one for the ages as an NLL juggernaut in the Buffalo Bandits look to hunt down the underdog upstarts in the Albany FireWolves. During the regular season the FireWolves were able to hand the Bandits two losses and they will look to do it again, this time with a lot more eyes looking towards the FireWolves as these NLL finals are set to get started, but the question stands. Will the underdog story for the FireWolves continue?
Caden Balint is a graduate of La Salle Institute in Troy, NY and Merrimack College in North Andover, MA and has been in love with sports forever. Whether it is watching, playing, writing, sports have always been a passion. Getting the chance to start his dream of sports journalism with Stream Punk is just the start of a long journey. In his spare time Caden enjoys playing hockey, spending time with his loved ones and playing video games but you will soon get to know him a lot more!