By: Justin Ivey, Beat Writer New England Black Wolves
The New England Black Wolves (1-1) with their first home game at the Mohegan Sun Arena was not as they expected in front of a crowd of 5,589 fans. The game started as a sloppy affair for both teams. Quick possessions didn’t allow either group to reach any sort of rhythm. Wesley Berg (1 goal, 2 assists) put the first goal past Black Wolves’ goalie Evan Kirk 2:49 into the period with a man advantage caused by a Bill O’Brien interference penalty. New England quickly answered back as Shawn Evans (1 goal) scored under a minute later. The first quarter ended with the Calgary Roughnecks (1-2) having a five on three advantage, but that did not deter Sheldon Burns (2 goals, 1 assist) from scoring a shorthanded goal with 29 seconds left to put the Black Wolves on top 2-1.
New England was outscored in the second quarter 5-2, and after Pat Saunders (2 goals, 1 assist) netted his fifth goal of the season, New England was held scoreless for just under 23 minutes – well into the third period. In that time the Roughnecks were able to rattle off six unanswered goals, including two power play goals and one shorthanded. Referees kept the game in control breaking up two scrums before fists flew. Down 9-4, with just under four minutes in the third quarter, Kevin Buchanan (2 goals) broke the drought to get the Black Wolves on the board.
Calgary was able to hold off the Black Wolves rally in the fourth. Kirk did not let any goals and the New England defense stood strong without getting a penalty. Pat Saunders netted his second of the game, and wily veteran Brett Bucktooth (1 goal, 1 assist) slid one past Calgary goalie Frankie Scigliano on a beautiful assist from Ryan Hotaling (1 assist) to bring the Black Wolves within two with just under eight minutes remaining. The Calgary defense stonewalled every New England attempt until Sheldon Burns scored his second with 1 second left on the clock. The final score of 9-8 was a true reflection of the defensive game played by both sides. Tempers flared as the clock expired and both lineups met in the corner to exchange some words. Final Score Calgary 9—New England 8.
Quick Notes:
This was Shawn Evans first game against his old team, where he won MVP honors last season.
Calgary’s first three games have been decided by a total of 4 goals, and neither they nor their opponents have scored over 10 goals. The Black Wolves mascot was named Hunter by a group of 5th graders and announced during the game.
Next Up:
New England Black Wolves visit the Georgia Swarm Sunday January 17 at 2:05 PM EST.
Calgary Roughnecks host the Vancouver Stealth Saturday January 30 at 9:00 PM EST.
Justin Ivey, Beat Writer New England Black Wolves
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