FireWolves' fourth-quarter comeback falls short; drop ninth straight game
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Albany FireWolves (2-11) suffered their ninth straight defeat Saturday, falling 11-9 to the second-place Toronto Rock (11-4) at MVP Arena.
It was a low scoring affair that went back and forth all night. Toronto carried a four-goal lead into the fourth quarter, and Albany was able to get within one towards the end of the period, but Toronto scored on an empty net late and was able to run the clock out to secure a road win in the Capital Region. FireWolves goaltender Doug Jamieson had another strong night in net, stopping 47 shots and allowed just 10 goals.
After a scrum for the ball, Toronto began the game with the first possession, but came up empty on offense. After multiple scoreless trips by both sides, the Rock struck first as Josh Dawick bounced one into the net to give Toronto an early 1-0 lead. Minutes later, Albany equalized as John Piatelli found space over the middle and went low on Nick Rose. On the next possession, the FireWolves struck again as Ethan Walker went five-hole to give Albany their first lead of the game. Wasting no time tying it, Tom Schreiber fired one in from deep in the waning seconds of the shot clock. Keeping up the pace, Marshall Powless collected a long rebound before connecting with Tanner Thomson who rifled one into the back of the net. Following an Albany crosschecking penalty, Dan Craig found a gap over Jamieson’s left shoulder to knot the game at three apiece.
Toronto was first to score in the second period as Craig came around a screen and fired a sidearm shot past Jamieson. Following a near Albany goal, the Rock ran out in transition before Zach Manns capped off the fast break to give Toronto a two-goal lead. On the ensuing possession, Manns found a cutting Corey Small who was just outside the crease for the goal on the doorstep. Albany was held scoreless in the period as Toronto carried a 6-3 lead into the halftime break.
It took nearly 10 minutes for the first goal of the second half, but Walker managed to get one back for the FireWolves as he bounced one through Rose’s legs. With just over two minutes to play in the period, the Rock scored their first of the second half as Brandon Slade ran the floor and ripped an overhand shot unassisted into the net. Less than a minute later, the Rock added to their lead as Challen Rogers snuck one between Jamieson’s legs.
Albany won the first faceoff of the final quarter and wasted little time scoring as Thomson buried his second of the night. Toronto quickly got the goal back as Dawick bounced one past Jamieson to give the Rock a 9-5 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game. After a television timeout, Walker found Piatelli who was outside the crease before brushing off a defender and notching his second of the contest. On the next Albany possession, Walker ran around a screen and a Rock defender on his way to his hat trick goal while narrowly avoiding the crease to bring the FireWolves within two. Toronto was able to stop Albany’s momentum as Craig completed a hat trick of his own while diving across the crease. With three minutes to go, Powless went low on Rose and cut the deficit back to two. With just 40 seconds remaining, the FireWolves emptied the net before Piatelli fired in his third of the night to bring Albany within a goal. The Rock won the ensuing faceoff and quickly scored as Latrell Harris got an easy one on an empty net. Toronto took the final faceoff of the game and was able to run out the clock, capping off an 11-9 victory.
The FireWolves will be on the road for the first two weekends of April before returning home to face the Georgia Swarm on Saturday, April 15 at 7:00 p.m.