Justin Ivey, Beat Writer New England Black Wolves
Lacrosse is Awesome
With a chance to host the first-round playoff game, the New England Black Wolves (8-10) hosted the Vancouver Stealth (9-9) on Saturday night April 29 at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Black Wolves already knew they were in the playoffs after Rochester lost Friday night to Georgia, but a win could leave no chance of travel to Toronto for round one in the east. Vancouver was also fighting for a home playoff game with the Colorado Mammoth. Because of these scenarios, the game had plenty of edge as both teams felt the pressure to win. It would take overtime, but Vancouver came out on top. Final Score OT: Vancouver 17—New England 16.
Joel McCready (2G) would open scoring early in the first for Vancouver. He would beat goaltender Evan Kirk on the first shot of the game, just 15 seconds in. Kevin Crowley (5G, 2A) would tie it just over a minute later for his 41st goal of the season, already building on his career high this season. Logan Schuss (2G, 2A) would put Vancouver back in the lead on the next possession, followed quickly by a goal from Brandon Clelland (1G). Evan Kirk was beat on three of the first four shots on goal by Vancouver and would be replaced by rookie Doug Jamieson, as New England coaches hoped to stop the early onslaught. It would prove a good decision early as New England would score the next three. Kevin Buchanan (4G, 2A) would get the first on a nifty cross crease pass from Kyle Buchanan (1G, 2A). Reilly O’Connor (2G, 1A) would tie the game and Kevin Crowley would get his second of the night dancing on the crease to beat goalie Tye Belanger to give the Black Wolves the lead with 4:22 remaining. Vancouver would answer though. Rhys Duch (3G, 4A) would score two in a row before the quarter ended. Both would come in transition on odd man breaks and the second with only 41 seconds remaining. At the end of the first quarter, Vancouver would lead New England 5-4.
Crowley would strike first in the second quarter to complete his hat trick and tie the game at five. Shawn Evans’ (1G, 8A) assist on the goal was his 100th point of the season, making him the first NLL player to reach the 100-point mark in five consecutive seasons. Jordan Durston (3G, 1A) would give Vancouver the lead back after three minutes of back and forth play. 
Chad Culp (2G, 1A) would score on the next possession to tie the game again. New England could not find the lead as Corey Small (4G, 3A) would find the net and the lead just over a minute later. Over the next seven minutes, New England would turn up the defense and the offense would find a groove as they powered off another three in a row. The first came from Brett Manney (1G), his first of the season, in transition. The second was Kevin Buchanan and Crowley finished it off with his fourth of the first half. The goal from Crowley gave the Black Wolves the lead at 9-7 with 2:05 left in the half. Vancouver would get one before the half ended as Durston beat Jamieson with 1:02 left. At the half, New England would lead Vancouver 9-8.
The third quarter was dominated by defense with nothing easy coming for either offense. Schuss would tie the game 1:51 in to the dismay of the home crowd. O’Connor would answer for New England to get the lead back. A scuffle in front of the bench would see the first penalties of the game assessed. Bill O’Brien for New England and Chris O’Dougherty for Vancouver would get tangled in front of the New England bench and were both assessed minors. Another minor on New England would give the Stealth the first power play of the game. The penalty would be successfully lasted but Cory Conway (1G, 3A) would tie the game for Vancouver. McCready would score again late in the quarter to give Vancouver back the lead. At the end of three, Vancouver would lead New England 11-10.
The fourth quarter was unbelievable. The first goal would be a penalty shot for Duch, the first in front of the Mohegan Sun Arena crowd in three years. Vancouver would continue to score over the next three minutes on goals from Durston; Peter McFetridge (1G, 2A); and Small. With 9:55 left in the game, Vancouver looked in control with a 15-10 lead after a five-goal run that started at the end of the third quarter. The run would chase Jamieson from net as Evan Kirk would return. Again, the goalie change provided a spark. Kevin Buchanan would get his hat trick goal soon after. Shawn Evans would get his only goal of the night next to make the score 15-12 with 7:04 remaining. Just under a minute later Kyle Buchanan would get his only goal of the night. On a no goal call by the officials, Vancouver would challenge hoping they stopped the run, but the call would stand. Momentum for New England would continue. Kevin Buchanan would score with 5:10 remaining to get the deficit to just one goal. Then the unthinkable – Chad Culp (2G, 1A) would tie the game with 4:24 remaining. The crowd was electric. Feeding off of that energy, the unthinkable – Crowley would give New England the lead 16-15 with 3:17 remaining assisted by none other than Shawn Evans. The Vancouver five goal run was answered and surpassed with a New England six goal run. They could not hold the lead. With 18 seconds left and the extra attacker, Corey Small would shoot over two defenders and beat Kirk to tie the game. At the end of regulation, the game would be tied at 16.
Overtime was nerve racking. Both teams would have good possessions and both goalies would stand tall. Good possessions were fruitless as stars from both teams tried to end the game. 6:03 in, Vancouver would break the tie. Small, the game tying hero would send Vancouver home the victors. The New England loss and Toronto win against Buffalo 30 minutes later means New England will travel to Toronto for the first round. Vancouver earned the right to host the first-round game against the Mammoth. Final Score: Vancouver 17—New England 16.
UP NEXT:
New England will travel to Toronto for a first-round playoff on Saturday, May 6 at 7:00 PM.
Vancouver will host Colorado for a first-round playoff also on Saturday, May 6 at 7:00 PM.
Justin Ivey, Beat Writer New England Black Wolves
Lacrosse is Awesome