OSHAWA, ON – In their first-ever game in Oshawa FireWolves (1-0) history, they were rewarded with an 8-7 victory over the Toronto Rock (0-1) in a one-goal contest on Friday night at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa. Alex Simmons was everywhere on the floor as he had two goals and four assists in the season opener, while Doug Jamieson stopped 48 of the 55 shots he faced.
View full game stats here: Oshawa vs Toronto
“He has evolved into one of the best goalies in the game,” said head coach Glenn Clark, praising his starting goaltender. “It’s very comfortable as a team, coach, and organization when you know that you have a chance to win with Doug in net. Although he struggled his first couple of years in the league, he’s become one of the best in the league now, and it’s great to watch him.”
The game began with lots of back and forth, and a lengthy video review saw the call result in no goal for the Rock. It wasn’t until the 12:43 mark that the first goal came from CJ Kirst in his very first National Lacrosse League game. That lead didn’t last long, though; off a loose-ball battle, Nick Chaykowsky was able to find the ball and rip a shot top corner past Rock starting goaltender, Nick Rose, to almost blow the roof of the building as that was the first goal in Oshawa FireWolves history.
In the second, the Rock restored their lead after Chris Boushy shot a ball that bounced off the end boards, off FireWolves goaltender Doug Jamieson, and crossed the line. However, the FireWolves responded with newcomer Taggart Clark taking a pass from Dyson Williams and going airborne across the crease for a highlight-reel goal to tie the game. After both teams were able to find their flow in game one of the season, the home side gave the home crowd a reason to watch their inaugural game. Not one, but two goals scored in quick succession. First was by Simmons and the second was by Williams, both of whom scored short side on Rose.
With the FireWolves taking a 4-3 lead into halftime and momentum on their side, it was going to be a test of will, strength, and grit that would determine who won round one of the Battle of the 401.
The Rock showed that their team owns the highway as Kirst scored 25 seconds into the quarter, and not long after was when Kirst shot a ball that missed the net and was found by Rogers, who scored to give the Rock back the lead. After Toronto scored two goals in under three minutes, both teams’ offences went stagnant. Neither team was getting to the middle of the floor; they were missing the net and forcing the ball unnecessarily. It was a lot of up-down lacrosse with not much scoring, and with Oshawa unable to score in the quarter, the Rock took a 5-4 lead into the fourth.
The fourth quarter was the epitome of what every NLL game should be. One goal game, lead changes left-right-and centre, big hits and stellar saves all over the place. The first goal of the quarter came from Walker, who shot from distance and scored. The Rock was able to find an answer and came from classic Rock lacrosse of good transition and winning loose balls. Sam English was battling for a loose ball down the floor and won the battle, found Owen Hiiltz, who scored. But hang on, because despite Hiltz silencing the crowd, Simmons was up to the task on how to make it loud again inside the Tribute Communities Centre. After the FireWolves had a good offensive possession that resulted in a shot being blocked, Simmons found the loose ball and, with four seconds remaining on the shot clock, scored to make it a six-all game. But the FireWolves weren’t done there. After Simmons scored his second of the season, Tye Kurtz got in on the scoring as his shot was ripped from the outside to give Oshawa a lead once again with under seven minutes to play. Although with every goal that one side scored, their opponent had an answer. And in his first career NLL game, Hiltz stepped up and scored his second goal to tie the game again.
But then came the finish.
After the FireWolves’ defence stepped up hugely with timely knocked-down passes, big hits, and keeping the Rock from getting inside, the FireWolves came down the floor on offence and after Ethan Walker and Williams played a great two-man game, Walker found a shooting lane and scored with just over a minute remaining to seal the deal and walk away with their first ever win in Oshawa FireWolves franchise history.
Despite scoring the game-winner and Walker saying it was great, it was the praise he had for Simmons that won the FireWolves the game.
“It was Kurtz, getting that tough GB in the corner and calling a timeout,” said Walker. “I mean, that sealed the deal for us. We were able to get a good time out, and from that, we drew up a play just to make sure that we kept them from from not getting the ball and going down in transition in scoring.”
With a season-opening victory under their belts against their new provincial rival, the FireWolves will travel to Atlantic Canada to face the Halifax Thunderbirds on Friday, December 5, at 6:00 PM ET on TSN, TSN+, and ESPN+.
Visit www.oshawafirewolves.com for tickets and team updates.
About Oshawa FireWolves
The Oshawa FireWolves are Durham Region’s professional box lacrosse team, competing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) out of the Tribute Communities Centre in downtown Oshawa, ON. For more information, visit OshawaFireWolves.com. Follow the team on Facebook at facebook.com/FireWolvesNLL, Twitter @FireWolvesNLL, and Instagram @FireWolvesNLL.
About National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is North America’s largest professional lacrosse league and welcomed more than 1 million fans for the third consecutive year during the 2024-25 season. Founded in 1986, the NLL is comprised of 14 franchises across Canada and the United States, and recently unveiled its largest brand campaign ever, “Welcome to The Next Major League™” and introduced its comprehensive grassroots initiative, NLL UnBOXed™, that will expand the League’s footprint to 60 communities across North America by 2028. For the latest scores and developments in the National Lacrosse League, please visit: NLL.com and find the NLL on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok. Games are available live and streaming on TSN, TSN+, the ESPN family of networks, ESPN+, and NLL+.
About Tribute Communities Centre
The Tribute Communities Centre is Durham Region’s premier sports and live entertainment facility and is managed by Oak View Group. The Tribute Communities Centre is home to the Oshawa FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League, Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, and hosts a myriad of events including concerts, circuses, ice skating and family shows. Visit TributeCommunitiesCentre.com, and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
About Oak View Group
Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions for a collection of world-class owned venues and a client roster of arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. Founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, OVG is the leading developer of major new venues either open or under development across four continents. Visit OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
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