Caden Balint – Albany Correspondent, Stream Punk Sports / All Lacrosse All The Time
The Black Bears Dominate. On Saturday, February 15, the Albany FireWolves (2-8) hosted the Ottawa Black Bears (5-4) for “Indigenous Celebration Night” at MVP Arena. With this game marking the start of the second half of their season, the FireWolves hoped to ignite a turnaround in front of their home fans. However, the Black Bears quickly extinguished any hopes of a comeback with a dominant performance.
Black Bears’ Fast Start
Albany opened the game in explosive fashion, as Tye Kurtz scooped up a loose ball and charged to the net, scoring just eight seconds into the contest. However, Ottawa responded almost immediately, with Jacob Dunbar netting his first of five points on the night just 30 seconds later. The teams traded goals for the first seven minutes, with an Alex Simmons power-play goal tying the game at 3-3. But from that point on, the FireWolves never truly regained their footing.
Two minutes after Simmons’ goal, Matt Marinier jumpstarted Ottawa’s offense with the first of two seven-goal runs. Shortly after, Jeff Teat took over, scoring three consecutive goals and finishing the first quarter with five goals and seven points. By the end of the opening frame, Ottawa had built a commanding six-goal lead, effectively putting the game out of reach early.
Ottawa’s Domination Continues
The Black Bears continued to control the game in every aspect, stifling Albany’s offensive efforts and preventing them from establishing any rhythm. Albany briefly found life five minutes into the second quarter when Dyson Williams and Ethan Walker scored within 30 seconds of each other, cutting the deficit from 10-3 to 10-5. However, Ottawa responded by completely shutting down the FireWolves for the remainder of the second quarter—and the entire third—keeping them off the scoreboard for nearly 25 minutes.
The Second Surge
Following the Williams and Walker goals, Larson Sundown reignited Ottawa’s attack, kicking off their second seven-goal run, which spanned the rest of the second quarter, the entire third, and the start of the fourth. The Black Bears extended their lead to 11 goals, showcasing an overpowering offense backed by a suffocating defense. Goaltender Zach Higgins was instrumental in Ottawa’s success, making 47 saves on 56 shots and holding the FireWolves to just nine goals on the night.
FireWolves’ Late Effort Falls Short
Ottawa’s first offensive explosion crushed Albany’s momentum, while the second crushed their hopes. However, after falling behind by 12 goals, the FireWolves showed some late fight, rattling off four goals in a three-minute span to momentarily narrow the deficit. But just as Albany started to build some energy, Dunbar responded with his third goal of the game, and Ottawa’s defense tightened once again. The Black Bears held Albany scoreless for the remainder of the game, securing a dominant 18-9 victory.
In the postgame press conference, when asked what this loss says about his team, a frustrated Glenn Clark responded:
“It says we are not good enough—until we prove otherwise, we are. And it’s on us to change it.”
Key Performers
Ottawa Black Bears: The Black Bears controlled every aspect of this game both offensively and defensively, yet leading the way for Ottawa was Jeff Teat (6g, 3a) who put up a “Sock Trick” and ended the night with 9 points. Following him in point production was Kiel Matisz (2g, 6a) with 8 and Connor Kearnan (1g, 6a) who added 7 points of his own. Jacob Dunbar (3g, 2a) added a hat trick and five total points of his own, while Reilly O’Connor (2g, 3a) was able to add two goals and five points of his own. The Black Bears that were able to round out the scoring on the night were Larson Sundown (1g, 2a), Ron John (1g), Matt Marinier (1g) and John LaFontaine (1g, 1a)
Albany FireWolves: The FireWolves struggled to get anything going offensively for a large majority of the game, however leading the way for Albany was Tye Kurtz (1g, 5a) who put up six points in the loss. Leading the way goals wise was Alex Simmons (3g) who added a hat trick of his own and Ethan Walker (2g, 1a) who was the only other FireWolf with 2+ goals. Dyson Williams and Sam Firth both added a goal and 2 assists while Patrick Kaschalk rounded out the scoring with a goal of his own.
Looking Ahead
Both teams will have little time to rest, as they are back in action this weekend. The Black Bears return home to face the Halifax Thunderbirds on Friday, February 21, while the FireWolves remain in Albany to play host to the Philadelphia Wings on Saturday, February 22.