The host Albany FireWolves defeated the San Diego Seals, 13-10, on Sunday afternoon in Game 2 of the NLL semifinals to complete a sweep of the series and advance to the NLL Cup.
Just like Game 1, it was a penalty-filled game that saw the teams combine for 18 penalties, including 12 against the Seals, and eight power play goals.
The first half was a game of runs. San Diego jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with goals off the sticks of Tre Leclaire and Austin Staats in the game’s first three minutes. Albany though answered by scoring six of the game’s next seven goals, including three on the power play. The stretch included a 3-0 run to close the first quarter, at the end of which Albany led 3-2.
Three minutes into the second quarter, Leclaire scored his second of the afternoon to tie the game at 3-3, but Albany went on another three-goal run to jump ahead 6-3. The Seals put together a run of their own however to close out the half with a power play goal by Curtis Dickson and Staats’ second of the afternoon, both in the final two minutes of the second quarter and the teams went to the locker rooms at the half with Albany up 6-5.
Dane Dobbie made it three straight for the Seals, opening the third quarter with a game-tying goal. For Dobbie, it moved him into a tie for the most playoff goals in NLL history. Albany answered though with two goals of their own and a third during a five minute major penalty against Staats to pull ahead 9-6. Dickson stopped the Albany run with his second goal of the game, a power play goal, but Staats was called for another penalty shortly after and Albany’s Alex Simmons, who scored five goals in Game 1, scored his third of the afternoon on the man advantage and Albany took a 10-7 lead into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter started with an exchange of goals and after Albany’s Tye Kurtz scored his third of the game to put the FireWolves up 12-8, the Seals countered with goals by Dobbie and Staats to get back within 12-10 with 5:09 left in the game. For Dobbie it put him into sole possession of first place on the League’s all-time playoff goals list. That was all the Seals could muster offensively though and the FireWolves would add an empty netter late in the match for the final goal in the 13-10 victory.
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