Forwards Wesley Berg and Austin Staats recorded four goals each for the San Diego Seals, but it was not enough as the Albany Firewolves’ defense held the Seals to a one-goal difference and ended San Diego’s six-game win streak in the 13-12 game.

“We weren’t ourselves defensively and we just weren’t in sync,” head coach Patrick Merrill said.

The Seals (6-2, 1st West) had six different players score and took the lead after a seven-goal second quarter, including four from Berg.

Forward Tre LeClaire made five assists throughout the night, and forward Jeremy Noble made three assists in the Seals’ effort.

The Firewolves (5-6, T-4th East) held San Diego to two or fewer goals in the first, third and fourth quarters in one of the best defenses and goaltending the Seals have seen all season.

Albany capitalized on a couple of San Diego defensive mistakes to add to their score, although they never felt comfortable with two goals being their largest lead of the night.

The two clubs battled hard throughout the game, and there were plenty of positives for the Seals, despite their second loss of the season.

Staats was given the second star of the game for his four-goal and two-assist performance.

“We were electric early and we had a lot of fans out there,” Staats said.

The game:

After missing the last two games due to injury, defender Cam Holding returned to the lineup and scored his third goal in six games this season.

Goalie Frank Scigliano made the assist on the goal, his second assist this season and first at home.

In the second quarter, both teams exchanged multiple scores and five lead changes throughout the second quarter.

Staats and forward Zack Greer re-took the Seals leads, 2-1 and 3-2, in the second quarter with a Charlie Kitchens score for the Firewolves in between to tie the game at two.

A trio of Albany goals from forwards Reilly O’Connor, Jacob Ruest, and Joe Resetarits gave the Firewolves their first lead of the night, 5-3, with 9:54 remaining in the opening half.

The Firewolves’ lead did not last long, however, after San Diego forward Wesley Berg scored his first two goals of the game, with assists from Tre LeClaire, Dane Dobbie, and Staats, to tie the game at five goals apiece.

Albany’s Ruest and Andrew Kew gave the Firewolves a 7-5 lead at 7:50 in the second quarter.

The Seals battled right back, though, and finished the first half with an 8-7 lead. Staats ended the Firewolves’ 5-2 run with a goal at 10:46 in the second quarter, and Berg re-took the San Diego lead with two power-play goals, putting together a four-goal second quarter.

Staats opened the second half by completing his fourth hat trick in six games this season. His fifth point of the night gave the Seals their ninth goal and their largest lead in the third quarter.

But the Firewolves responded with another trio of goals from Ruest, Kew, and Ryan Benesch that eliminated San Diego’s then-largest lead of the night and gave Albany their first lead in over a quarter of play (15 minutes, 17 seconds).

Ruest scored his third goal of the night for his first hat trick of the NLL season.

Staats capped the third quarter with a short-handed, game-tying goal, his fourth of the night with 20 seconds remaining.

The Firewolves opened the fourth quarter with two goals from Benesch and Kew, Kew’s third goal for his third hat trick of the season, and second consecutive game with three-plus scores.

LeClaire's fifth score in the last three games narrowed the Firewolves’ lead to one, but Albany’s Ruest got that one back to take a 13-11 lead.

With the game on the line in the final three minutes, forward Jeremy Noble found the net behind multiple Albany defenders to get within one and rile up the home San Diego crowd at Pechanga Arena San Diego.

Scigliano chased for the bench in the final minute for the extra attacker, but the Firewolves’ defense was too strong for the Seals to breach in the final seconds.

Up next:

The Seals began a four-game homestand and will host the Calgary Roughnecks on Friday, Mar. 4 for the second of four home games.

The two clubs will meet for the third time this season and for the second time at Pechanga Arena, where the Seals finished with a 13-10 victory on Jan. 29.

The Roughnecks are (3-5, 5th West) this season and sit a game and a half out of a playoff spot going into the latter half of the season.