The Vancouver Warriors moved closer to a playoff spot after a stellar performance by goaltender Christian Del Bianco, beating the Albany FireWolves 10-4. It was the Warriors’ fourth consecutive win and they are undefeated since acquiring Del Bianco at the trade deadline. Del Bianco was the story of the game, making multiple marvelous saves throughout the contest. The Warriors tied a franchise record, allowing only four goals, a record they set earlier this season in January against the Ottawa Black Bears. The Warriors’ penalty kill was perfect Friday night, going four-for-four.
Del Bianco was pleased with how his defence played when they were down a player. “It’s a hard league to be short a man. There are 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 get easier.”
Related: Warriors acquire Christian Del Bianco from Roughnecks
The Warriors’ defence has been great since the beginning of the season and as of this writing, allowed the least amount of goals in the National Lacrosse League. But the addition of Del Bianco has been a game-changer. He won MVP in 2023, so how he’s been playing isn’t a surprise. The Warriors’ offence only scored four goals in the first half, but Del Bianco kept them in the game. Star forward Keegan Bal says the offence was set up for success because the defence kept the FireWolves in check.
“Our defence and Christian just stole a game for us. (It) makes it pretty easy on (the offence) when they (only) score four goals,” explained Bal.
Del Bianco is a world-class goalie, and he’s made an immediate impact. When the Warriors acquired him, they were 5-7, now they are 9-7 and on the cusp of making the playoffs for the second time in franchise history. Head coach and general manager Curt Malawsky has known Del Bianco since he was a teenager. He also coached him when he was with the Calgary Roughnecks, and they won a championship together in 2023. Malawsky was impressed by Del Bianco’s 37-save performance against the FireWolves.
“He was absolutely outstanding. He makes the (saves) when you really need them (and) he made (those saves) all game long. He’s just got that calming influence on the back end and he’s a great leader in the dressing room,” said Malawsky.
Malwasky knows he can count on Del Bianco’s habits in practice translating to his play during games. “He really makes our guys better in practice — they have to compete to score on him. He’s a very competitive guy, he’s not just a gameplay player. He practices like he wants to play in the game, and it makes everyone around him better (and) it makes the team better.”
YeehaW. pic.twitter.com/CGSYB7IgvJ
— Vancouver Warriors (@VanWarriors) April 5, 2025
The Warriors have taken their game to another level since the trade deadline, and they beat the first-place Buffalo Bandits last week. Malawsky says it’s important for his team to stay grounded after that win and stay focused on the task ahead.
“We talked about it (Thursday) in practice, that was a nice win. It’s a really tough thing to do, but don’t sit back on (the win). It’s a challenge, (tonight’s) game could have been a catch game, maybe a bit of an adrenaline dump, but our guys stayed with it. They just believe in each other, (and) they trust each other.”
Markus Klarich has had a breakout year for the Warriors. In Friday’s game, he took a hard hit into the boards, resulting in a five-minute power play. He returned to the game and scored in the second quarter. Klarich says confidence is high in the Warriors’ dressing room because of their current win streak.
“We’re even-keeled and aren’t going to get too high. We know where we are, we are comfortable where we are, and we are just going to keep building together.”
Vancouver’s next game is Friday vs. the Toronto Rock. The Warriors beat the Rock 13-8 on Mar. 14. This week is another must-win for Vancouver to keep its playoff push moving strong.