The Albany FireWolves stayed close for three quarters, before finally pushing ahead in the fourth to earn a 12-10 victory over the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in the season opener for both teams.
Las Vegas got on the board first as veteran Zach Greer triple-pump faked the defence and ForeWolves goalie Doug Jamieson for his first of three first-half goals. Casey Jackson extended the lead less than a minute later on a dive from behind the net.
Albany responded a little over a minute after that as Patrick Kaschalk potted his first of the season. Then it was back-and-forth as Vegas scored twice more and Albany responded with two of their own.
In the second quarter, the hometown Desert Dogs once again scored twice quickly to open up their lead, but the FireWolves once again came right back, adding three goals to bring the score to a 6-6 deadlock at halftime.
The third quarter once again opened with the Dogs scoring quickly to take the lead. After that, however, the teams exchanged goals in a back-and-forth quarter. The score remained tied after three frames.
Albany took its first lead fo the game mid-way through the fourth quarter when rookie Tye Kurtz scored his first NLL goal on a no-look behind the back shot. Vegas’ Casey Jackson responded with two goals of his own to retake the lead once again. And then Albany began their strong finish: Alex Simmons tied the game again at the 4:28 mark,, then Travis Longboat gave Albany the lead again 27 seconds later. Kurtz then sealed the deal with two minutes remaining.
Albany’s Kurtz, Ethan Walker, and Sam Firth all finished the game with two goals and three assists for five points, while Marshall Powless added a goal and four assists to also have a five-point game. For Las Vegas, the offence was led by Jackson (4 G, 1 A) and Greer (3 G, 2 A), also with five points each.
Next up for the FireWolves is their home opener on Dec. 9, hosting the Buffalo Bandits. Meanwhile, the Desert Dogs travel to Texas on Dec. 10 to take on the Panther City Lacrosse Club
