Albany, New York - The Las Vegas Desert Dogs (1-4) and the Albany FireWolves (1-4) kicked off week six of the NLL, the first game of five within the Tucker Out Lymphoma Cup. The Desert Dogs have been looking for that first win all season long and were finally able to get it with a 12 – 11 overtime win. The Pack can thank the stellar performance and hattrick by rookie Jackson Webster playing in his first career NLL game. He finished with three goals and two assists. Jonathan Donville (3G, 2A) and Jack Hannah (1G, 4A) were also game changers in the team’s win. Kyle Killen did reach 100 career NLL assists during the barnburner.
The Albany FireWolves opened the scoring with a goal assisted by Dyson Williams, the son of the Desert Dogs' General Manager and Head Coach. The Desert Dogs quickly tied the game in the first quarter when Jackson Webster scored his first career goal. Nick Preston also recorded his first NLL point on the same goal. Shortly after, Jack Hannah delivered a highlight-worthy, behind-the-back shot to the net, scoring his 12th goal of the season and giving the Desert Dogs the lead. However, before the end of the quarter, the FireWolves tallied two more goals, including one from Dyson Williams, to reclaim the lead at 3 – 2.
The action was back and forth to start the second quarter, featuring great shots and even better saves from both Las Vegas and Albany. Yet once again, it was the FireWolves who struck first, finding the back of the net and extending their lead to two over the Desert Dogs. To shorten the Wolves lead, Webster fired a seeing-eye shot that found its way past the Albany goalie, continuing to make an instant impact for the team with his second goal of the game. The Desert Dogs maintained their momentum as rookie Adam Poitras scored a clutch shorthanded goal, tying the game up at four a piece. But this momentum would die out as the Pack let in two goals late goals to let the FireWolves take a 6 – 4 lead heading into the locker room.
Las Vegas needed a strong second half to stay in the game, but Albany kept the pressure on by scoring the first goal of the third quarter. The Desert Dogs, however, refused to back down. Poitras and captain Connor Kirst reignited the team's energy with back-to-back goals in just 10 seconds apart. The scoring spree continued for Las Vegas, including a power-play goal by Jonathan Donville, which tied the game at seven all. The FireWolves took the lead again in the tightly contested affair off a wide-open backdoor goal on the powerplay. Albany leads 8 – 7 entering the fourth quarter.
The most crucial quarter of the season for the Desert Dogs, began with a bang as Kyle Killen tied the game with a brilliant shift from the Pack. Shortly after, Donville netted his second of the game marking his first multi-point game of the year, giving Las Vegas a 9 – 8 lead. Webster then completed his hat trick with a goal that showcased the poise of a seasoned veteran rather than a rookie. Albany managed to pick up two goals during the Pack’s scoring streak from to tie the game at 10 – 10.
With the game tied, Donville continued his dominant performance, scoring his third goal of the game to give the Desert Dogs an 11–10 lead. Albany responded once again, tying the game at 11–11, marking the eighth tie of the contest and sending it to overtime.
And in sudden death overtime, it was Poitras playing hero as he sent home the game winner for the Desert Dogs. The first win for the Pack in the 2024-25 season came from a complete performance from everyone on the team. The Dogs will try to find a winning streak as they take on the Saskatchewan Rush on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 5 p.m. PST.
LVDD TOP SCORERS:
#91 Jackson Webster: 6 points (3G, 3A)
#3 Jonathan Donville: 5 points (3G, 2A)
#33 Jack Hannah: 5 points (1G, 4A)
