Warriors Look to Close Out the Year Strong Against Firewolves
The Vancouver Warriors (1-1) head east for a matchup against the Oshawa Firewolves (1-2) at the Tribute Communities Centre.
The goal the Warriors set out at the beginning of the season was to get better every week, and they’ve seen results over the first two games. The defence and goaltending have been a steady presence, and the chemistry amongst the forwards is growing game over game.
Vancouver won their most recent game 15-9 against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, and the Warriors had balanced scoring. Nine different players lit the lamp for at least one goal, and they had a total of 27 assists. The group up front was happy with their ball movement and look to build on that against a tough Oshawa team.
Forward Keegan Bal led the Warriors with four goals and four assists, and is tied for second in the NLL in points with 15 (5G, 10A) through the first three weeks of the season. Lefty forward Adam Charalambides tallied eight points as well, scoring two goals and six assists. Charalambides is tied for ninth in NLL with 11 points (4G, 11A).
Forwards Curtis Dickson and Jesse King each scored a pair against Vegas, and the Warriors had singles from forwards Payton Cormier, Marcus Klarich, and Ryan Sheridan. Defencemen Shane Simpson and Tyler Garrison each scored their first goals as Warriors in the contest.
On the back end, Reid Bowering leads the Warriors with 14 loose balls, while Bowering and captain Brett Mydske lead the team with two blocked shots each. Christian Del Bianco turned aside 44 of 53 shots he faced, including 14 shots in the third quarter. Del Bianco has a career record of 2-0 against the Firewolves, with a .865 save percentage.
Both teams have a strong defensive identity and take pride in winning 50-50 balls and loose ball battles.
Oshawa has been on the road for the last two weeks and returns for a tilt at home before the Christmas break. The Firewolves won their first game of the season against the Toronto Rock, but are on a two-game losing streak, having dropped games to the Halifax Thunderbirds and Georgia Swarm.
On defensive end, Victoria’s Will Johansen has collected 27 loose balls, six caused turnovers, and one block through three games. Nick Chaykowsky has picked up 24 loose balls, seven caused turnovers, and three blocked shots, and Colton Watkinson has proven he’s ready to sacrifice his body with six blocks to go along with 13 loose balls, and three caused turnovers.
Warriors’ defencemen Ryan Dilks, Brett Mydske, and Jeff Cornwall meet a familiar face and former teammate Kyle Rubisch. The group formed a formidable back end through the Edmonton and Saskatchewan dynasty. Dilks learned the “Rubisch check” when they played together, and it is still part of his repertoire today. Rubisch has tallied 13 loose balls, two caused turnovers, and three blocked shots so far this season.
Goaltender Doug Jamieson is a nine-year NLL veteran and has posted a .839 save percentage through three games. With stingy defence in front of him along with his consistent goaltending, his goals-against average is 7.99 and he’s stopped 120 of 143 shots he’s faced.
Defenceman Jaxon Fridge is the only other B.C. local on the Firewolves roster, hailing from Coquitlam.
On the offensive end, Firewolves’ forward Alex Simmons exploded for a hat trick and an assist in their most recent game against Georgia, and leads his team with 10 points (5G, 5A) through three games. Fellow forward Tye Kurtz has seven points (4G, 3A), and chipped in a goal and an assist against the Swarm.
The whistle blows on Friday, December 19, and faceoff is at 4:30 p.m. PT. You can catch the game on TSN, TSN+, and NLL+, you can sign up for NLL+ for free here.