A goalie fight during Saturday’s NLL matchup between the Albany FireWolves and Rochester Knighthawks broke the internet this past weekend. Fighting in box lacrosse is nothing new, but a goalie fight tends to only happen once in a blue moon.
Rochester didn’t even give the FireWolves a chance during the team’s inaugural home opener in Albany. Prior to the fight, the Knighthawks were up, 13-4, with little-to-no life left in the Albany arena. The game had been relatively boring up until the fight, as it was clear that Rochester was the far superior team.
Albany felt humiliated on its home turf, and tensions were high at the start of the fourth quarter. It got more heated when Albany’s Mike Byrne started to get into it with Rochester’s Thomas Whitty, with all the attention focused on them.
While that was happening, Albany’s backup goalie Ethan Woods stepped onto the floor to challenge Rochester starting goalie Rylan Hartley. The refs did the bare minimum to try and stop the fight while both goalies took off their padding before duking it out.
It was at this moment that fans knew they were about to see a very rare NLL goalie flight.
It was clear from the jump that Hartley would walk away from this fight victorious. Even though Woods was the one who initiated the fight, he looked frail and timid once Hartley put his game face on. The fight was never really close as Hartley was able to assert his dominance in every blow, forcing Woods onto his back foot every time. Both players were ejected from the game following the fight.
While it might not have been the best NLL goalie fight, it certainly was entertaining to say the least. This is exactly what the FireWolves needed during their home opener after being embarrassed on the scoreboard. This fight gained national attention and will hopefully bring in more local Albany fans to support the newly-relocated franchise.
Now for the other lacrosse news from the week of Dec. 14-20, 2021.
Last Week In Lacrosse
Tewaaraton winner Jared Bernhardt announced that he would be using his last year of NCAA eligibility to play football at Ferris State University. Bernhardt was the team’s starting quarterback this season and the program just won its first NCAA DII national championship over the weekend.
The PLL unveiled its complete Top 50 Players list with Blaze Riorden earning the No. 1 spot. Voting worked by the PLL disseminating a form where the players ranked their top 25 peers and the final rankings were calculated by a point-based system.
The PLL announced a new player compensation structure explaining how player contracts and free agency will work in the PLL. The new structure paves the way for free agency in the 2023 offseason, empowering players to explore opportunities to maximize earning potential and playing time.
Get Caught Up on LAS Content
Miss out on what we did last week? Here’s a recap of some of our top content from the last seven days.
HOW TO TAPE A LACROSSE STICK JUST RIGHT
Tucker La Belle covers the many different tactics that come with the infamous pregame ritual of taping a lacrosse stick.
22 LACROSSE PREDICTIONS FOR 2022
We’re pleased to launch this amazing design contest, and we want you involved! The top 16 custom glove designs will be selected by ONE LAX athletes, and then voted on by the lacrosse community in a bracket-style competition.
One lucky winner who creates the winning design will receive two pairs and we’ll make 100 pairs available for sale on LaxAllStars.
WHAT DO WE KNOW AFTER NLL WEEK 2?
Ryan Conwell goes over some of the major takeaways following the NLL’s second week of action.
10 MAN RIDE: WHAT, WHY & HOW
The 10 man ride is an aggressive defensive scheme in lacrosse that is utilized across different levels of the sport. This is what you need to know about it.
‘HONOR OUR HEROES LACROSSE TOURNAMENT’ CELEBRATES MILITARY, SUPPORTS NAVY SEAL FOUNDATION
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Legendary Sports Group, in partnership with the Richmond Hawks, announced the Honor Our Heroes Lacrosse Tournament, to be hosted June 4th and 5th, 2022, at Dorey Park in Henrico, Virginia.
