ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Game 1 of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) Finals lived up to expectations, as the rival Albany FireWolves and Buffalo Bandits went blow-for-blow through three quarters. But the defending champion Bandits showed their championship resolve, pulling away in the fourth stanza, en route to a 12-8 win in front of a raucous crowd at MVP Arena.
After leading 6-5 at halftime, the Albany offense went stagnant in the second half, scoring just twice more in the final 30 minutes of game action.
"They're (Buffalo) good, right? They played well. [Matt Vinc]'s a good goalie and makes big saves, and that's kind of how the world works," said head coach Glenn Clark. "You're playing against a good [defense] and a good goaltender, and it's not gonna be easy. I mean, that's how it kind of went in the second half. You need breaks. You need some of those balls to drop. The one that hits the inside of his (Vinc's) foot and goes out the other way - you need that to go in. They're a polished team. They don't let you off the mat."
The Bandits take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series, and the two teams will meet again Saturday night at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, as the FireWolves look to tie up the series.
"We're investing in a series here," said Clark. "In my mind, we're at halfway. We're at halftime. So, we'll do the peel-back and the takeaways, and…be better tomorrow."
Ethan Walker led the scoring for the FireWolves with seven points (two goals, five assists), and energized the Albany faithful with timely scores early on. NLL Rookie of the Year Alex Simmons added six points (two goals, four assists), Tye Kurtz finished with four pts (two goals, two assists), and Travis Longboat and Sam Firth added one goal apiece. Goalie Doug Jamieson put in another strong performance with 44 saves on 55 shots on goal.
The first quarter started out at a breakneck pace. The energy of a series opener could be felt from the first whistle.
The FireWolves began their first-ever finals appearance with a Kurtz goal just 35 seconds in. The champs were not fazed, and responded with two goals a few minutes apart to take a 2-1 lead.
Walker shifted the momentum back towards the Albany sideline with a low heater from the right faceoff dot that knotted the score at two with 7:47 to play in the opening stanza. Kurtz sent the home crowd into a frenzy not even three minutes later with an acrobatic, diving score to reclaim his team the lead.
But again, Buffalo countered, capitalizing on a pair of power-plays. The league's Most Valuable Player, Josh Byrne, and Dhane Smith scored in quick succession, as the visitors went back ahead on the scoreboard, 4-3.
Walker retaliated once more, firing home his second goal of the night - this one from the right side as well - to level the scoring at four by the conclusion of a frenetic quarter.
The scoring slowed in the second with both defenses settling in. The Bandits reclaimed the lead at the 12:17 mark, but were shut out for the remainder of the quarter. Longboat went five-hole on Vinc for the equalizer, and with under 30 seconds to play in the half, Simmons went top-shelf off a feed from Kurtz that put Albany back in the driver's seat by halftime.
Buffalo locked down defensively, though, out of the break, holding the 'Wolves scoreless for the entirety of the third quarter, while Chris Cloutier and Chase Fraser both scored to put the Bandits up 7-6 ahead of the final frame.
The fourth quarter began with a Buffalo goal just 37 seconds in, and for the first time all night, the margin on the scoreboard was greater than one.
In desperate need of a spark, Simmons came through 33 seconds later, netting a nifty bounce shot that not only closed the gap to one, but also earned Simmons an NLL record for most postseason points from a rookie (25).
However, the Bandits quickly stamped out that spark. After a near-six minute stretch without a goal, Kyle Buchanan scored from just outside the crease to restore Buffalo a two-goal cushion, and the champs erupted from there, netting three more unanswered goals to go up 12-7, putting the game away. Firth finally ended the 4-0 run, but it was too little, too late.
With the fate of their season on the line, the FireWolves face a quick turnaround for Game 2. With a win, the series would return to Albany next Saturday, May 25, for a decisive third game.
Game 2 from KeyBank Center Saturday is set to get underway at 7:30 p.m. The game will be available to watch on TSN, TSN+ and ESPN+.
