ANALYSIS – After the devastating loss to the Ottawa Black Bears, the FireWolves have rebounded from that loss quite nicely. They first got a tight one-goal win against the Philadelphia Wings at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. The FireWolves then followed it up with probably their best game in the entirety of the 2025-26 NLL season, beating the Wings by a scoreline of 11-6.
The Oshawa FireWolves Complete Two Straight Wins over the Philadelphia Wings
The Oshawa FireWolves’ Defence Was Solid
Part of the big reason why the FireWolves won this game was because of their strong defence. By only allowing six goals in total, including only one in the first half, it goes a long way in the FireWolves getting the win against the Wings.
It is something they struggled to do all season long. However, they did not struggle against the Wings and highlighted the potential they have as a team. Some examples of this include:
- Oshawa forced the shot clock to expire a few times for the Philadelphia Wings.
- The Wings had trouble getting good quality scoring chances, especially early on.
This is what FireWolves head coach Glenn Clark said about the game:
“We’re looking for very specific things from our defence, and we got those throughout the game—in our exchanges, our pressure on hands, and the way we turned bodies,” said head coach Clark. “I thought we did a good job of delivering on our defensive expectations consistently.
Saying that, none of this would be possible without Doug Jamieson, who stepped up in a big way for the FireWolves.
Oshawa FireWolves Goaltender, Doug Jamieson, Stepped Up
Doug Jamieson allowed only six goals, including just one in the first two quarters combined. That type of performance is something the FireWolves team really needed for Saturday’s game.
Some of these examples included:
- Jamieson made a great save early in the fourth quarter.
- Some big saves were made by Jamieson as he stood tall and made 21 saves on 22 shots in the first half.
The season has not always been great for the FireWolves, but Jamieson’s presence changed everything for them and the way they do business.
The Oshawa FireWolves Offence was Patient
When looking at the highlights or the game itself, one can tell that Oshawa was patient in attack. Some examples of this include:
- Alex Simmons passed the ball to Ty Kurtz for a good position to score to make the game 2-0 in Oshawa’s favour.
- Justin Thiebe got a pass from Simmons, who put the ball into the back of the net to make it 3-0 for Oshawa.
- Emerson Clark got a pass from Dyson Williams to score a goal from a great scoring position.
READ MORE: Dyson Williams: The Local Oshawa FireWolves Star
From goaltending to defence to offence, it was a complete game by Oshawa on Friday night. This is what the FireWolves’ Glenn Clark, said about the team, according to the NLL YouTube Website:
“We maintained that level of consistency throughout the game.”
This is something Oshawa will look at trying to replicate to end their first-ever NLL season in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Other Factors: Ryan Benesch Reached a Major Milestone
Ryan Benesch has been in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) since the 2006-07 season. His 20 years of experience are invaluable to a team like the FireWolves.
Friday night was a special night for Benesch as he moved into NLL’s all-time scoring list at 4th place, attaining a total of 1,388 career points. Benesch had two goals and four assists on the night.
This is what Benesch said about his accomplishment, according to the FireWolves YouTube Account on March 13, 2026:
In the same video, he gave credit to the teammates he had over the years who helped him get to this milestone:
“I’m old,” Benesch joked when reflecting on the milestone. “I give all the credit to the long list of teammates I’ve had in my career. It’s been almost 20 years, and it’s crazy to think I’ve been fortunate enough to reach this point. I’m grateful for the number of people who have helped me in my career and life.”
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Games Coming Up For Both the Oshawa FireWolves and the Philadelphia Wings
READ MORE: Ottawa Black Bears Win in Spectacular Fashion at the CTC
Both teams are unlikely to make the NLL playoffs this year. The FireWolves, thanks to the back-to-back wins over the Wings, have now passed both the Wings and the Calgary Roughnecks in the NLL standings.
However, they still remain third-last in the NLL standings with only four games left in the schedule. This is while the Wings are in a slightly worse position, as they are now the team with the worst record in the NLL.
The Wings have two games remaining in March, while the FireWolves only have one game remaining in March.
The Philadelphia Wings host the Halifax Thunderbirds at the Xfinity Mobile Arena at 7:00 pm EDT on March 27. They then also host the Toronto Rock at 1:00 pm EDT on March 29. The games will be shown live on NLL+ and ESPN+.
While, for the FireWolves, they host the Rochester Knighthawks at 7:00 pm EDT at the Tribute Communities Centre. The game will be shown live on TSN+, ESPN+, and NLL+.
Photo Credit: Oshawa FireWolves X Account on March 17, 2026.
