Dog o' Day
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Albany FireWolves introduce mascot Alphie the Alpha Wolf

By Wesley Coburn

KEENESBURG, CO - OCTOBER 20: A rescued timberline wolf howls at The Wild Animal Sanctuary on October 20, 2011 in Keenesburg, Colorado. The non-profit sanctuary is a 720 acre refuge for large carnivores that have been confiscated from illegal or abusive situations and is currently home to over 290 lions, tigers, bears, wolves and other animals. It is the oldest and largest carnivore sanctuary in the United States, having been in operation since 1980. On Tuesday the owner of a private 73 acre animal reserve in Zanesville, Ohio set loose 56 animals, mostly large carnivores, before shooting himself. Of the animals that fled, 49 were hunted down and killed by sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officers. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
KEENESBURG, CO - OCTOBER 20: A rescued timberline wolf howls at The Wild Animal Sanctuary on October 20, 2011 in Keenesburg, Colorado. The non-profit sanctuary is a 720 acre refuge for large carnivores that have been confiscated from illegal or abusive situations and is currently home to over 290 lions, tigers, bears, wolves and other animals. It is the oldest and largest carnivore sanctuary in the United States, having been in operation since 1980. On Tuesday the owner of a private 73 acre animal reserve in Zanesville, Ohio set loose 56 animals, mostly large carnivores, before shooting himself. Of the animals that fled, 49 were hunted down and killed by sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officers. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) /
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The Albany FireWolves will fittingly have a canine mascot, as they introduced Alphie the Alpha Wolf on Tuesday, November 2, ahead of their debut National Lacrosse League season.

The NLL plays box lacrosse, which is kind of like hockey on carpet, and it consists of 14 teams across the United States and Canada – the Albany FireWolves, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, New York Riptide, (Fort Worth, Texas) Panther City Lacrosse Club, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock and Vancouver Warriors.

The Albany FireWolves, formerly the New England Black Wolves of Uncasville, Connecticut, rebranded with the move during the spring and summer, and are fully embracing the communal pack mentality, getting very involved with the community in New York’s Capital Region with their charitable foundation and establishing youth programs to teach kids the game of lacrosse.

So it makes perfect sense that Alphie would be a part of the program as well.

The Albany FireWolves mascot continues the theme of canine solidarity with Alphie the Alpha Wolf.

Though a pretty great hype video, Albany released the first look at Alphie, who wears a white home FireWolves uniform with the No. 00 and his name on the back, and tying in well with the team’s marron and Vegas gold color scheme, his fur is rather golden in color with black accents.

“Alphie will be a key member of our organization,” George Manias, Albany FireWolves president, said in a press release. “From entertaining the crowds at FireWolves games to attending our community events, making visits to local hospitals, and representing not just our team, but also our AFW Foundation and grassroots junior lacrosse programs, Alphie is sure to make his mark on the Capital Region and we are so pleased to have him lead our pack!”

There is also a fun backstory given in the press release for Alphie’s existence, where he was born on a cold December night in Adirondack Mountains.

This wolf pup became the dominant one in his pack’s pecking order, and was fascinated by the campfires of human campers.

Eventually in his wanderings he discovered an arena, where he assembled a team of warriors he dubbed the FireWolves to protect his territory.

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The FireWolves begin the 2021-22 NLL season on the road at the Toronto Rock on Saturday, December 4 at 7 p.m. ET, and have their home opener at the Times Union Center on Saturday, December 18 at 7 p.m. ET against the Rochester Knighthawks.

For more information about how to buy tickets and follow the action on social media, see the team website for more details.

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