DULUTH, Ga. (March 3, 2023) – The Georgia Swarm snapped it losing streak last week to the Albany Firewolves, dominating Albany 20-4 at home. Georgia looks to keep things trending upwards as they hit the road to face Albany once again this Saturday night, March 4 at 7:00 P.M. ET in MVP Arena.
The Georgia Swarm (1-7) defeated the Albany Firewolves (2-7) once on the road last season in comeback fashion led by Craig Wende between the pipes and Lyle Thompson’s five-goal, nine-point performance.
Albany is on a five-game losing streak, last defeating the Halifax Thunderbirds, 11-10 on Jan. 13. The Firewolves struggled all around last week: not getting enough shots off, allowing the Swarm to go on multiple-multi goal runs, and only converted 4-of-10 (40 percent) of man-up opportunities.
This Saturday marks the 46th meeting all time between the two clubs. Georgia posts a 28-17 record over Albany in the all-time series, clinching 12 wins on the road.
This game marks a homecoming for a few players as Lyle Thompson, Seth Oakes, Teioshontathe McComber, and Andrew Kew all have ties to the Capitol. Lyle Thompson, Oakes and McComber all suited up as University at Albany Great Danes in college with McComber being the most recent graduate (2022). Kew returns to MVP Arena for the first time since being traded away from the Firewolves. In the offseason, Georgia traded Ethan Walker in exchange for Kew, who currently leads our team in points, and Ethan Woods.
For the second-straight week, Georgia converted 100 percent of man-up opportunities. The Swarm went 4-for-4 against the Toronto Rock (Feb. 18) and the Firewolves (Feb. 25), ranking first in NLL overall power play record. Georgia is successful on 21-of-31 (68 percent) man-up opportunities.
The Swarm put together a great team effort last week with Lyle Thompson, Kew, and Brett Dobson turning heads throughout it. Lyle Thompson led the squad in points (12), notching five goals and seven assists while Kew followed with 10 points, recording seven goals and three assists. Dobson collected 32 saves throughout the affair shutting out Albany in the second frame. Dobson earned NLL Rookie of the Week honors after posting his first professional win and a .889 save percentage.
Last week Justin Geddie started between the pipes for the Firewolves, totaling 21 saves and a .617 save percentage across 46 minutes. Doug Jamieson logged 14 minutes in net, stopping 10 shots for a .588 save percentage.
Following the Georgia at Albany matchup, the Swarm come back to Gas South Arena for a Sunday affair on March 12 at 4:00 P.M. ET. Georgia hosts a rematch against the Rochester Knighthawks who rank second in the Eastern Division. The Swarm look for redemption as they fell to the Knighthawks on opening day, 16-11.
Milestones:
- Brendan Bomberry needs one loose ball recovery to reach 200 in his career.
- Bryan Cole needs three goals to reach 50 in his career.
- Shayne Jackson needs five goals to reach 300 in his career.
- Andrew Kew needs one point to reach 150 in his career.
- John Ranagan needs two loose ball recoveries to reach 400 in his career.
- Jeremy Thompson needs five faceoff wins to pass Jamie Hanford for third place in league history with 2,092.
Where to Watch:
- ESPN+ – Use your ESPN+ account (or create a new one) to watch the game live Saturday, March 4, 2023, and all season long
- Watch in person at six Gwinnett County Taco Mac locations: Buford, Cumming, Duluth, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville & Suwanee
- TSN – If located in Canada, you can log into your TSN account to watch the game live Saturday, March 4, 2023, and all season long
History:
- This marks the 46th meeting all-time between Georgia and Albany
- The Swarm hold a 28-17 advantage over the Firewolves in the all-time series
- Georgia posts a 12-11 record against Albany on the road
- The Swarm recorded a 15-12 comeback victory against Albany the last time they were in MVP Arena
- Georgia won one and lost one game against Albany on the road during the 2021-22 season
- The Swarm outscored the Firewolves 71-52 in the last five meetings
