No fairytale finish for Albany FireWolves, who suffer two-game sweep to Bandits in NLL Finals
BUFFALO, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- It was a season that re-instilled excitement among the fanbase, and generated tremendous optimism for the future of lacrosse in Albany. But the FireWolves' captivating 2023-'24 campaign came to a bitter end Saturday with a 15-13 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bandits in game two of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) Finals. Buffalo completes a two-game sweep of Albany, and claims its second straight NLL Cup.
The FireWolves fought and clawed all the way to the finish line, but were just unable to usurp the defending champs. Despite a disappointing finish, Albany still put together one of the greatest turnarounds in NLL history, finishing with an overall record of 14-7 - including the playoffs - only one year removed from a last-place, 3-15 finish in the 2022-'23 season.
Sam Firth led Albany in scoring with a career-high five goals, and added two assists for seven points. NLL Rookie of the Year Alex Simmons also contributed seven points (three goals, four assists), bringing his postseason point total to 32 - a new playoff record for a rookie.
The FireWolves' goal-scoring efforts were rounded out by Travis Longboat, who recorded a hat trick, Tye Kurtz and Patrick Kaschalk - both of whom found the back of the net once. Longboat and Kurtz each finished with four points. Longboat had one assist to go along with his three goals, while Kurtz had the inverse stat line with one goal and three assists. Ethan Walker dished out a team-high five assists - good for a five-point performance. On the defensive end, Doug Jamieson finished with 36 saves on 51 shots on goal.
Buffalo applied pressure early and often, getting out to a 4-1 lead after Tehoka Nanticoke converted a power-play goal with 4:14 to play in the first quarter.
Credit the FireWolves, though, for weathering the first couple of Buffalo waves. After Simmons responded just 19 seconds later, Firth cashed in on a man-up opportunity with three seconds to play in the quarter, closing to the gap to one at 4-3.
The Bandits erupted to start the second stanza, going on a 4-0 run. But Albany again met the challenge, rattling off a 3-0 run of its own to close the half, punctuated by a sidearm snipe from Longboat with just one tick remaining on the game clock.
Longboat carried that momentum into the second half, muscling his way to a goal from just outside the crease, and a once-five-goal Buffalo advantage was cut back to one with the score 8-7.
The Bandits had one more run in them, though, that the 'Wolves were unable to answer. Buffalo scored five unanswered goals over the final 11:08 of the third quarter to maintain a commanding, 14-8 edge heading into the fourth.
Albany outscored Buffalo 5-1 in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was just too much to overcome. Firth netted his fifth goal of the night with eight seconds to go in regulation, cutting the margin to a respectable two goals at 15-13.
However, that just delayed the inevitable, which was Buffalo celebrating becoming the third team in league history to repeat as champions.
The 2023-'24 Albany FireWolves will go down as a team that shocked the lacrosse world, and has made a serious impact on the city of Albany with their connection to the community, and their passion every time they stepped on the turf.
The youngest team in the league this season, Albany has more talented draft picks on the way, as it looks to carve its way back to the finals in 2025.