Georgia and Albany Meet for the Third Time This Season; Winner Takes the Series

DULUTH, Ga. (March 18, 2022) – The Georgia Swarm (6-6) and Albany FireWolves (6-7) faceoff for the third time this season Saturday night at 7:00 P.M. ET in Albany, N.Y. Both franchises are 1-1 this season against one another as Georgia picked up the win on Feb. 4 at home and Albany won the next day on their own turf.

Both the Swarm and FireWolves are coming off wins against the Halifax Thunderbirds. Albany faced Halifax first on the Thunderbirds’ double-header weekend (March 11) and topped them, 8-7 while Georgia defeated Halifax, 10-9 on March 12.

Georgia sits one place ahead of Albany in the Eastern Division standings in fourth. The Swarm currently hold the last playoff position in the East with a 6-6 record while the FireWolves sit fifth with a 6-7 record.

The Swarm enter Saturday’s matchup scoring the second-most goals in the league with 140. They are seven goals behind the East Division top ranked Buffalo Bandits. Georgia averages 11.67 goals per game and defensively gives up 11.91 goals per game.

This weekend’s showdown highlights the NLL’s leader and second leader in goals, Lyle Thompson (34) and Joe Resetarits (33). Resetarits also ranks second in league points with 76 while Thompson is third with 71. Thompson totals 13 points (6G, 7A) against Albany this season as Resetarits tallies 19 (7G, 12A) over Georgia.

Not only does Georgia and Albany see Thompson and Resetarits top the charts in league points, but Albany’s Ryan Benesch and 2020 NLL MVP Shayne Jackson rank fifth and 10th, respectfully, in NLL points. Jackson totals 27 goals and 30 assists throughout 11 games played. He is coming off a seven-point weekend where he gave out five assists and scored two goals against the Halifax Thunderbirds.

Albany’s Doug Jamieson tops the league in saves stopping 510. Mike Poulin, who just achieved his 100th career win, ranks fourth in NLL saves with 406. Jamieson and Poulin also sit back-to-back in minutes played with Jamieson clocking in first (774:46 minutes) while Poulin logs the second-most (681:53 minutes).

This week the Swarm added lefty forward Stephan Leblanc to its roster in a trade with Panther City Lacrosse Club. Leblanc spent the 2022 season to date with the Halifax Thunderbirds, who dealt Leblanc to Panther City on Monday, March 14 along with a second-round 2024 NLL Entry Draft choice in exchange for Dawson Theede. During the 2021-22 season with the Thunderbirds, the 6’1″ lefty forward has totaled eight goals and 26 assists for 34 points across 10 games.

The Swarm vs. FireWolves matchup is the first of two-straight away games for Georgia. Next week the team takes on the Toronto Rock in FirstOntario Centre. The Swarm come back to Duluth, Ga. on April 1 when they invite the Rock to town. April 1 marks the first of three home games the Swarm host in April (April 1; Toronto, April 16; Buffalo, April 30; Philadelphia).  The lone and final road contest of the regular season is on April 23 when they travel to league newcomer, Panther City Lacrosse Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Milestones:

Jordan MacIntosh: Needs 14 faceoff wins to pass Stephen Hoar for 6th place in league history with 1,651

Jordan MacIntosh: Is 4 loose balls shy of 1,446, ranking him 10th in NLL history

Lyle Thompson: Is 2 points shy of achieving the 500th of his career

Last Time We Took the Field (March 12, 2022):

• The Georgia Swarm took down the number two East Division team, the Halifax Thunderbirds, 10-9
• The Swarm came out hot and scored within the first 26 seconds of the game; Brendan Bomberry netted the first goal of the affair with help from Bryan Cole and Adam Wiedemann
• Georgia secured the win despite being outshot 51-36; Mike Poulin saved a season-best 42 shots against the Thunderbirds
• Shayne Jackson was the field leader in points with seven; Jackson scored two goals and gave out five assists
• Bomberry and Lyle Thompson both recorded hat trick and one assist for four points each; Bomberry scored three goals in the opening 15 minutes
• Rookie Ethan Walker was second on the team in assists with four
• Jordan Hall tallied three assists eclipsing the 800th point of his career
• With Poulin’s season-high 42 saves and an .823 save percentage, he clinched his 100th career win making him the fourth goalie all-time to do so in NLL history
• The Thunderbirds dominated the faceoff winning 18 of 23 (78.2 percent) chances
• Georgia’s backline held Halifax to one goal in the second frame and scoreless in the third; the Swarm outscored the Thunderbirds 5-4 in the opening quarter
• Halifax had five power-play opportunities, but the aggressive Georgia defense killed 4 of the 5 (80.0 percent) opportunities

Last Time We Faced Albany (February 5, 2022):

• Georgia fell to Albany, 13-11, in the second game of franchise’s double-header weekend against one another; the Swarm fell by two even though they outshot the FireWovles 43-40
• Georgia scored the first two goals of the contest, but Albany responded with five-straight to take a 5-2 lead heading into the second frame
• The Swarm scored on 2 of 4 (50.0 percent) power-plays curtesy of Lyle Thompson and Brendan Bomberry; Adam Wiedemann netted a shorthanded goal from midfield
• Thompson and Jordan Hall registered five points each on the night; Thompson scored four goals and gave out one assist while Hall notched five assists
• TJ Comizio was the only Swarm player to force two turnovers; Chad Tutton, Connor Kirst, Shayne Jackson, Kason Tarbell, and Joel White all caused one apiece
• Poulin stopped 27 Albany shots and posted a .675 save percentage
• Albany’s Joe Resetarits led the floor in points totaling eight (3G, 5A); Ryan Benesch and Reilly O’Connor followed with seven points each
• Joe Nardella went 17 for 28 (60.7 percent) in faceoffs and totaled one assist
• Doug Jamieson played all 60:00-minutes in net coming up with 32 saves and a .744 save percentage

Swarm Spotlight

• Georgia holds the advantage in the all-time series posting a 26-17 record against Albany (formally New England)
• The Swarm are the second-highest scoring offense in the league totaling 140 goals; they average 11.67 goals per game
• The squad is currently on a two-game winning streak; last week’s win was the first time the Swarm secured back-to-back wins this season
• Lyle Thompson leads the NLL in goals totaling 34; across the league Thompson ranks first in shots (136), tied for first in shorthanded points (4), and third in points (71)
• Brendan Bomberry is tied for third in NLL power-play goals after landing seven between the pipes; Bomberry is third on the team in points (42) and goals (20)
• The Swarm added Stephan Leblanc to the roster this week after spending the first half of the season with Halifax; he totals 8 goals and 26 assists (34 points) ranking fourth among Georgia in assists
• TJ Comizio ranks fourth in NLL shooting percentage after landing 3 of 7 (42.9 percent) shots between the pipes
• Mike Poulin just achieved his 6th win of the season and the 100th of his career; the starting goaltender has totaled 406 saves this season ranking fourth in the league
• Ethan Walker remains in sixth place in NLL rookie points with 30 (8G, 22A); Comizio also remains in 17th place for league rookie points with 10 (3G, 7A)
• Connor Kirst still ranks second in rookie faceoff wins with 60; Kirst is 60 for 138 (43.5 percent) at the dot
• Bryan Cole and Adam Wiedemann represent the Swam in NLL defenseman point leaders in fifth and 13th place, respectfully; Cole totals 19 points (8G, 11A) while Wiedemann tallies 12 (2G, 10A)
• The Swarm’s defense ranks third in league penalty kills stopping 33 of 50 (66.0 percent) this season

Eyes on the FireWolves

• Albany totals 131 goals in 13 games, averaging 10.07 goals per game; the defense allowed 142 goals past giving up 10.92 goals per game
• Joe Resetarits ranks second in league points (76), goals (33), and shots (132) while sitting third in NLL assists (43)
• Ryan Benesch ranks fifth in NLL points with 66 and sits second in team points, goals (25) and assists (41) behind Resetarits
• Starting netminder Doug Jamieson leads the NLL goalies in minutes played (774:46) and saves (510); Jamieson posts a 10.61 goals against average and a .788 save percentage
• Charlie Kitchen is 16th in NLL rookie points after registering 13 (10G, 3A); also sits tied for first in shorthanded goals (2) and shorthanded points (2) among rookies
• Albany defensemen Colton Watkinson (14) and Tony Malcom (12) rank eighth and 11th among NLL defenders in points respectfully; Watkinson ranks fifth in defender assists with 12
• Joe Nardella leads the league in faceoff wins with 217; Nardella posts a 69.8 faceoff winning percentage after clamping 217 of 311
• Albany ranks fourth in league power-play record scoring on 26 of 53 opportunities (49.1 percent)

Where To Watch

• ESPN+ – Use your ESPN+ account (or create a new one) to watch the game live Saturday, March 19, 2022, at 7:00 PM ET and all season long
• Peachtree TV – The Swarm vs. FireWolves game will be tape delayed; the broadcast will air on Saturday, March 19 at 7:00 PM ET
• Watch live in person at six Gwinnett County Taco Mac locations: Buford, Cumming, Duluth, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville & Suwanee