The Albany FireWolves return to action this Saturday to kick off the 2022-23 season on the road in Buffalo, New York at 7:30 p.m. Albany will face a Bandits team who eliminated them in the first round of the playoffs during their last trip to Western New York last season. The FireWolves finished their inaugural season with a 9-9 record, entering the playoffs on a three-game win streak prior to falling to the top-seeded Bandits. With a new look offense this season, Albany will need to find and establish its offensive identity right out of the gate to keep pace with the firepower of Buffalo. The game can be watched on My4 Albany or ESPN+.
The Bandits enter the new season with the bad taste after dropping games two and three of the championship series following going up a game on the eventual champions, the Colorado Mammoth. Buffalo was the best team throughout the entirety of the NLL season, finishing with a league-best 14-4 record, the Goalie of the Year, and the league MVP. The FireWolves were bested by the Bandits in all three matchups last year and will look to right the ship with the first game of the season.
FireWolves Players to Watch:
Charlie Kitchen, though only entering his sophomore season, will be heavily leaned on as the FireWolves look to find its offensive identity after parting ways with the team’s top five scorers from a season ago. Kitchen had himself a nice debut season, notching 22 total points on 14 goals and eight assists in his 15 regular season appearances. Interestingly enough, Kitchen also tied the franchise record with two shorthanded goals in a single game in an 8-7 victory over the Halifax Thunderbirds. Kitchen wowed fans with some circus shot goals during the season, and the FireWolves will need him to continue to be a key offensive contributor in order to keep pace with the Bandits this weekend.
Doug Jamieson, to no surprise, had another stellar season as the FireWolves netminder a year ago. The former Goaltender of the Year finished fourth in the league with 675 saves while boasting a mere 10.34 GAA. “Dougie” is the backbone of a stout FireWolves defense and will be relied upon heavily on a nightly basis to keep opposing players out of the back of the net. There will be no warmup game for Jamieson as he faces the tough test of a high-powered Bandits offensive unit, but he has proven to be up to the task and will be an X-factor in this one.
Brett Manney is a leader that the FireWolves and Capital Region lacrosse fans can rely on showing up each and every night. Though he may not get the credit because he is not known as a goal scorer, Manney serves as the FireWolves captain and leads the team’s solid defense. With the FireWolves discovering a new offensive identity early on in the new season, Manney and the defensive unit will be heavily relied on to shut down opposing offense. Manney has been with the organization since 2014 and is one of the most tenured and experienced players across the NLL. Look out for Manney to be a staple in the FireWolves defense as they work to limit opportunities for the Buffalo forwards.
Opposing Players to Watch:
Dhane Smith is a guy who will be a handful for any defense, and the FireWolves have certainly seen just how good he can be. In the three total games last season (including playoffs), Smith tallied 20 points on seven goals and 13 assists. He was a menace all season, earning himself league MVP honors while leading the league in total points (135), assists (94) and finishing eighth overall with 41 goals. Smith is someone who can create for himself, but also dish it as well as anyone in the league. Albany will have their hands full with the reigning MVP and must find a way to slow him down if they want to start the new season with a 1-0 record on the road.
Josh Byrne is the 1B to Smith in the Buffalo offense. Another top-10 scorer a season ago, Byrne finished with 99 total points on 37 goals and 62 assists. Byrne did the bulk of his damage against the FireWolves last season by setting up his teammates for goals. In the three games against Albany, Byrne finished with nine assists. He has the ability to score, but he excels at finding the open man for easy goals. Albany will be faced with the tall task of slowing down both Smith and Byrne – something that they have to figure out on Saturday to come away victorious.
Goaltender Matt Vinc seems to win Goaltender of the Year nearly every season and did just that for the eighth time last year. The keeper led the league in wins (14) and saves (747), and limited Albany to just 24 total goals in three matchups last season. Albany will have a new-look offense to start the season and must find a way to get high quality shots on Vinc early and often in this one. Vinc has been frustrating opposing offenses for well over a decade and the FireWolves must remain patient and persistent in effort to keep up with Buffalo on the scoreboard.
This will be the first of two regular season matchups between Albany and Buffalo this season. The Bandits will visit the Capital Region for a season finale in a matchup that will surely have playoff implications on the line.
Fans can secure their tickets now for the 2022-23 FireWolves regular season opener on Saturday, December 17 against the Rochester Knighthawks! For more information regarding tickets, visit www.AlbanyFireWolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-362-4900.