ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — How quickly things can change. A year ago at this time, all Albany FireWolves head coach Glenn Clark could do was watch the National Lacrosse League playoffs from afar in the wake of a 3-15 season and last-place finish. Fast forward to Sunday night, and Clark, guiding the youngest team in the league, said he’d be going home to enjoy a glass of wine…to celebrate his team reaching the NLL semifinals.
Albany’s storybook season is still very much alive following a 9-3 win over the Halifax Thunderbirds in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs – the first postseason victory in the franchise’s three-year history.
“They play with jam,” said Clark. “They don’t get discouraged, and the bright lights, physical play and intimidation doesn’t seem to stop them. I’ve been proud of how they’ve played, and [this is] just another step in that growth.”
On a team defined by its youth, one of its more veteran members played the biggest role in the win. Goalie Doug Jamieson put forth a remarkable performance in net, making a career-high 52 saves on 55 shots. It was only the fourth time in NLL playoff history that a goalie has allowed three or fewer goals in a game, with the record low being two.
“Best moment of my career, for sure,” said Jamieson. “A win-or-go-home game…there’s so much at stake. And you don’t really know how it’s gonna go; the way the ball’s gonna bounce. I thought I got some lucky bounces tonight, but…I played good too. So, it’s a pretty surreal feeling right now.”
The scoring efforts were led by Travis Longboat and John Wagner, who each recorded two goals. Tye Kurtz, Jackson Nishimura, Alex Simmons and Ethan Walker notched one goal apiece. The FireWolves also won the loose ball battle scooping up 68 to Halifax’s 60.
A defensive tone was set early with no goals scored in the first 9+ minutes of the first quarter. Longboat finally broke open the scoring at the 5:06 mark just as a power-play was ending. He streaked through the middle of the Halifax defense to bury his first career playoff goal.
Both teams racked up a slew of penalties in the opening frame. The first five minutes alone saw a 3-on-3 scenario, and a Thunderbirds penalty shot that was denied by Jamieson.
A cross-checking call against Wagner with 3:44 to play in the quarter proved costly. Halifax capitalized in the final seconds of its man-up opportunity, tying the game at one.
The second quarter was all FireWolves, though, as Jamieson made jaw-dropping save after jaw-dropping save, which opened the door for Simmons, Kurtz and Nishimura to each score and create a three-goal halftime margin.
The two sides went back and forth out of the break, as Halifax tried to get back in the game with their season on the line, but the FireWolves continued to control the pace of play. The Thunderbirds did manage to net a quick goal just 28 seconds into the quarter, closing the gap to 4-2.
But a few minutes later, Longboat beat Halifax goalie Warren Hill with a rocket to the top corner of the cage, extending the lead back to three goals at 5-2.
Walker followed that up with a great sweep over top at the 3:54 mark of the quarter to make it 6-2. The Thunderbirds found an opening in the waning seconds to draw back within three, but that would be their last goal of the game.
Jamieson and the FireWolves defense shut the door in the final quarter, blocking shots and making timely double-teams, which completely overwhelmed the Halifax offense. The Thunderbirds pulled Hill towards the end of the quarter, and Albany took advantage, scoring two empty-net goals. Wagner added one more on Hill to punctuate the FireWolves’ 9-3 win in their first-ever home playoff game.
“It might be the best game I’ve seen him (Jamieson) play,” said Clark. “There was probably…eight to ten shots…just him and the player. You just held the highest scoring team in the league to three goals. Our [defense] was good. We didn’t give ’em (Halifax) really great shots. The [offensive] guys getting off the floor; we didn’t give ’em a lot [in] transition; we were pretty responsible. You know, it was down the line. But, obviously, Dougie was…he was good.”
Next up for the FireWolves is a trip to San Diego to battle the second-seeded Seals. Game 1 of the semifinals series is set for Friday, May 3 at 10:30 p.m. The series will shift to MVP Arena in Albany for Game 2 on Sunday, May 5. A 3 p.m. start time has been slated for that game.