Justin Ivey, Co-Editor
Lacrosse is Awesome©
The Albany Firewolves (1-0) traveled to visit the Las Vegas Desert Dogs (0-1) on Friday night for both clubs’ season opening game. With a lot of new faces on both sides, this game was expected to come down to the wire and the back-and-forth affair was exciting. Albany did not lead the contest until the first goal of the fourth quarter, and even then, Las Vegas had time to take it back. With grit and determination, the Firewolves used a three-goal run with under five minutes remaining in the game to take the lead and leave Sin City with their first win of the season. Final Score: Albany-12, Las Vegas-10.
Albany almost scored the first goal of the game early on, but after a coach’s challenge the Marshall Powless (1G, 4A) shot was shown to have not beaten the shot clock. Shortly after, Zach Greer (3G, 2A) found the net for Las Vegas, and the challenge from Albany Coach Clark was not successful. The Desert Dogs struck first, and just 27 seconds later they landed the second blow. Casey Jackson (4G, 1A) netted his first of the night diving around the net from behind after catching the pass from Jack Hannah (3A). Finally, Albany broke through 2:40 into the first quarter as sophomore defenseman Patrick Kaschalk (1G, 1A) scored his first of the season, matching his total goals from last year in just the first game. Las Vegas stayed hot though. Greer scored his second of the game on a powerplay opportunity, and on the next Desert Dogs possession, and just 28 seconds later this time, Sean Westley (1G, 1A) put Las Vegas ahead 4-1 with 10:21 remaining in the opening quarter. Albany turned on the defense for the next 10 minutes and held the Desert Dogs scoreless while cutting their deficit to just one before the quarter ended. Ethan Walker (2G, 3A) scored with 8:17 remaining and then assisted on Sam Firth’s (2G, 3A) goal with 52 seconds remaining. At the end of the first quarter, Las Vegas led Albany 4-3.
The second quarter started much like the first, with the Desert Dogs striking within the first minute of action. Rob Hellyer (1G, 2A) scored a shorthanded goal, cutting to the net from the side and burying it past Doug Jamieson (31SV) from the doorstep. The man advantage was anything but for the Firewolves, as they ended the night 0-9 on the powerplay. Greer completed his first half hat trick burying his third 2:21 in and stretching the lead to 6-3. Alex Simmons (2G, 2A) halted the onslaught with his first NLL goal just 21 seconds later. His shot from outside trickled past netminder Landon Kells (40SV). The Firewolves jumped on the momentum shift and scored twice more in the following 1:18. Powless hit the net and this time it counted. Off the ensuing faceoff, Joe Nardella (1A) won the draw and assisted Leo Stouros (1G) for a tally just 11 seconds after. Neither team could reach the net for the remainder of the quarter and at the half Albany and Las Vegas were tied 6-6.
Las Vegas started the third quarter with another goal in the first minute of action. This time, John Wagner (1G) caught the outlet from Kells and scored in transition just 44 seconds in. Firth answered for Albany, catching a pass from Walker on the crease before deking the goalie out of position. The 7-7 tie was short-lived. Under a minute later, Jackson scored his second of the game to restore the hometown lead. Scoring took a break, even though Albany had multiple man up opportunities. With 3:21 left, Walker broke through and tied the game once more. At the end of the third quarter, Albany and Las Vegas were tied 8-8.
Scoring did not come early in the fourth quarter. The game remained tied for the first 7:15 of action. Tye Kurtz (2G, 3A) broke the tie and gave Albany their first lead of the night with a behind the back shot from the middle of the zone. Jackson answered the call for Las Vegas, scoring the next two goals to restore the lead for Las Vegas. Jacob Ruest (3A) found him alone on the crease for the quick stick first goal, and just over a minute later he sniped the corner over Jameison’s stick side shoulder to make the score 9-8 with 5:20 left. Albany relied on their defense down the stretch, and the offense was able to sneak in three straight in the final 4:30 leaving them victorious. Simmons scored the equalizer with his second of the night and 4:28 on the clock. Travis Longboat (1G, 3A) found himself open in the middle and scored jumping upright into the crease with 4:01 remaining, and Kurtz made the margin of victory two goals with his second of the night and 2:11 on the clock. Final Score: Albany-12, Las Vegas-10.
Up Next:
The Albany Firewolves (1-0) host the Buffalo Bandits (0-0) on Saturday, December 9 at 7:00 PM EST.
The Las Vegas Desert Dogs (0-1) visit the Panther City Lacrosse Club (1-0) on Sunday, December 10 at 4:00 PM EST.