Warriors Secure Fourth Consecutive Victory with 10-4 Win over FireWolves on Country Night

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NLL Vancouver Warriors

Warriors Secure Fourth Consecutive Victory with 10-4 Win over FireWolves on Country Night

April 6, 2025 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Vancouver Warriors News Release


The Vancouver Warriors secured their fourth consecutive win and continue their March to May following a 10-4 victory over the Albany FireWolves at Rogers Arena on Friday night.

Both goaltenders were strong in the game, and we saw a 4-1 score at halftime. Warriors' goaltender Christian Del Bianco put on a show, allowing just four goals on 41 shots, while Keegan Bal stayed hot and led the Warriors' offence with four goals and three assists.

General Manager and Head Coach Curt Malawsky praised the fans in the building. He has seen the support grow for the Warriors since he came to Vancouver and appreciates how Rogers Arena is becoming a tough place for opposing teams to come in and play.

"The endzones were jammed, they're always on the glass, and they're just screaming," said Malawsky with a smile. "It's so cool to see Vancouver getting behind their team. Right here, we can keep things going. We love our fans, and we just love the support. Like I've said before, they're very knowledgeable."

Matt Beers played a strong defensive game, picking up six loose balls and having a pair of blocked shots. Malawsky also credited Reid Bowering for his strong defensive play and mentioned that Bowering was the player who went home with the game ball on Friday night.

Del Bianco set up Bowering's shorthanded goal early in the fourth quarter that kicked off a 5-1 Warriors run in the final frame of play.

"Let's call a spade a spade. [Bowering] struggled with his defence early in the year, and sometimes he gets caught up. There were a couple of goals against him in Buffalo, and he probably wanted those back. But, you know, how does he respond? He comes out here, plays phenomenal defence-first, gets up the floor, and got the game ball tonight. That goal changed the momentum. So that 100%, Reid played really well. He's athletic, he picks up loose balls, and he's still a really young guy and a local guy from Coquitlam," said Malawsky.

The Warriors' penalty kill killed all four of their penalties, and Del Bianco loved how his defence played in front of him while they were a man down.

"It's a hard league to be short a man," said Del Bianco. "There's some pretty good offensive players and we were just disciplined. We kept our shape, we didn't overextend, and we gave up the shots that we wanted to give up. So, I think as we move on here and find a little more chemistry between me and those four first liners, especially, it's going to just get easier."

Marcus Klarich took a hit from behind with 5:33 remaining in the opening quarter, which resulted in a major penalty against Will Johansen. Klarich recovered from the bad hit and scored a highlight-reel goal late in the second quarter.

"There's something to be said for him going for that loose ball, right? I think in maybe years past, he played a little younger, and I think he's committing to get into the gritty areas," said Del Bianco. "He's not necessarily the biggest guy, but he's got all the athletic ability in the world. So, to see him doing that and getting to the middle floor and selling out for loose balls like that, it's nice to see that. It's paying off, not only for the team, but for him, with some success on goals."

Keegan Bal led the way with four goals and knew that in a tight, defensive game, he had to play his role and put some goals on the board for the Warriors.

"There's not much to not like about Keegan," said Malawsky. "That ability to create his own shot is huge. And, you know, he gets inside either. He's a great leader on our team. And we rely on him night in and night out.

Malawsky felt like his team was calm from the crease out, and that became contagious to the group. Albany had a push in the third quarter, but Malawsky credited his goaltender with making a few huge saves that helped keep the team calm and confident with their lead before exploding in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors now move to 9-7 on the year and head to Toronto next week for a matchup with a team that they beat 13-8 on March 14th at Rogers Arena. The opening faceoff at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre will be at 5:00pm PT.

For season tickets, group tickets, premium options, and all ticketing options, please go to vancouverwarriors.com for all the details.

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