OSHAWA, ON – The Oshawa FireWolves put on a show in defending their den this past Saturday, dominating the Halifax Thunderbirds 16-9 with their third sell out crowd in full force. The FireWolves showed their depth and resilience with a well-rounded effort from both sides of the ball. The win continues the offensive momentum they’ve built at home as they gear up for a 4-game road trip.
It was Tye Kurtz with the hot stick on a birthday to remember, scoring a hat trick in the first quarter, before tallying 4 more goals and 3 assists for a career high of 10 points. His performance is a showcase of the work he puts in with FireWolves Captain, Colton Watkinson, saying, “he’s someone that personifies grit. Every day he comes to the rink, he’s working hard. He’s a true professional; he works on his craft. And something that I think is very understated about his game is the amount of repossession, loose balls that he gets on the O end of the floor.”
Alex Simmons continued to be a standout on offence with 9 points in the game, with 7 assists, and 2 goals of his own. So far this season, Simmons has been the leader of the FireWolves’ offence, now with 33 points in their 6 games, ranking third in the league with 14 goals.
Watch the highlights below:
Those efforts continued all over the floor with six different players scoring, including two defenders, showcasing the balanced attack the FireWolves have been building.
On the defensive end, the team didn’t allow a single 5-on-5 goal, with all Halifax goals coming on special teams or in transition. It was Nick Chaykowsky leading the defensive efforts with 8 loose balls and 1 caused turnover while the rest of the defence worked well as a unit. The FireWolves were able to hold their discipline through Halifax’s physical play towards the end of the game.
FireWolves goaltender Doug Jamieson continues to be the backbone of the FireWolves’ defence, ranking second in saves now with 231 this season, reaching the 4000-career marker in the win. Head Coach Glenn Clark added after the game that “You don’t win without good goaltending, unless you have that you’re not gonna win and he was great tonight.” It was also Andrew Kidd’s first appearance in net, and he entered the game in a difficult situation facing three consecutive man-downs, but was able to hold down the net to secure the FireWolves’ win.
Also making his first appearance this season was forward Carson Moyer who delivered an immediate impact that Clark was looking for. “The one thing you’ll see on defence is when guys cut through the middle, there’s a hesitation, there’s a split second where two guys might take, they might slip off, so you need that sort of forced activity within an offensive group and that’s what Carson did and he battled hard and he made space for guys.”
Looking ahead, Clark emphasized the importance of maintaining their focus: “We really have to have that ‘what’s next’ mentality. We got the result we wanted, and we’ll enjoy it, but now it’s forward-looking.”
To carry this momentum on the road, the FireWolves will need to continue striking early and maintain their intensity.
The FireWolves will look for a third victory on the season when they travel to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to take on the Rush next Saturday at 8:00 PM ET on TSN+, ESPN+, and NLL+.
The FireWolves will return to the Durham Region on February 14 at 7:00 PM ET for Star Wars Night against the San Diego Seals.
Visit www.oshawafirewolves.com to buy tickets and for all team news.
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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