Justin Ivey, Co-Editor & Beat Writer
New England Black Wolves
Lacrosse is Awesome
The last time the New England Black Wolves (1-1) and Saskatchewan Rush (2-0) met it was a thriller late in the 2017 season. The Black Wolves scored three in a row to bring it to overtime, and then stunned the Saskatchewan home fans, scoring a fourth straight in overtime to come out victorious. Both teams made changes this off-season, none bigger than swapping starting goaltenders. In a huge off-season trade, Saskatchewan sent goalie Aaron Bold and transition player John LaFontaine, as well as a draft pick to New England in exchange for goalie Evan Kirk. After months of questioning who won the trade, it was finally time to put it all on the floor. The Rush gave us a definitive answer, as they handed the Black Wolves a heavy loss. Final Score: New England 11—Saskatchewan 24.
Saskatchewan struck first, as Ben McIntosh (5G, 4A) beat ex-teammate Aaron Bold just under five minutes into the game. The New England defense looked strong up until allowing that goal, successfully lasting out a penalty. Black Wolves Captain Shawn Evans (3G, 4A), answered less than a minute later, but on the very next possession Adrian Sorichetti (2G) gave Saskatchewan the lead again. Mark Matthews (6G, 7A) doubled the lead with his first of the game. On the power play with 3:02 left to play, Kevin Crowley (3G) beat Kirk to get New England to within one. At the end of the first quarter, Saskatchewan led New England 3-2.
New England came out fired up in the second quarter, and Evans found the back of the net for his second of the game just over two minutes in, tying it up at three. Unfortunately, that is where the good fortune ended. Ryan Keenan (2G, 3A) and Robert Church (2G, 6A) scored 21 seconds apart to open a two-goal lead for the Rush. A bench minor gave the Black Wolves a man advantage, but rather than score – they gave up two goals. Ryan Dilks (1G, 1A) got the first; and just 19 seconds later Curtis Knight (1G, 3A) extended the Rush lead to four goals as he bullied his way through two defenders. Three minutes later, Matthews got his second of the game diving into the crease. Soon after, he completed his first half hat trick. In response Aaron Bold was pulled and replaced by Doug Jamieson. The change in goaltender didn’t matter, as Jeremy Thompson (1G) ran in to score unassisted. Saskatchewan finished the half with seven straight goals and led at halftime 10-3.
Saskatchewan started on the power play to open the third quarter and extended their run. McIntosh scored two goals, the first on the man advantage. Sandwiched between his two defenders, Matthews tallied his fourth of the night. The unanswered run ended at ten as Stephan Leblanc (1G, 3A), New England’s most recent acquisition scored his first goal for the Black Wolves. Six minutes into the second half, the Rush led 13-4. Saskatchewan didn’t let the Black Wolves put anything together and scored three more unanswered goals. Chris Corbeil (1G, 1A); Matthews; and Brett Mydske (1G) all scored within three minutes to extend the lead to 12 goals. Crowley, put in his second of the night, but Saskatchewan scored another three to end the quarter. The goals came from McIntosh; Sorichetti; and Jeff Cornwall (1G, 1A). At the end of the third quarter, Saskatchewan led New England 19-5.
New England would try and fight back in the fourth quarter, but the game was too far out of reach. McIntosh scored first, on the power play, to get the lead to 15. Evans answered 13 seconds later, followed by JP Kealey’s (1G, 2 A) first NLL goal and Matt Spanger’s (1G) only point of the night. In the next two and a half minutes, Saskatchewan recovered all three goals on tallies from Church; Shattler; and Keenan. Mark Cockerton (1G) scored his first goal of the season 22 seconds after Keenan to ignite another short run by New England. Crowley completed his hat trick next; and Kevin Buchanan (1G) scored with just under two minutes left. It was too little, too late. Matthews completed his hat trick 11 seconds after Buchanan’s goal to bring the end of the game. Final Score: New England 11—Saskatchewan 24.
UP NEXT:
New England hosts the Vancouver Stealth on Friday December 29 at 7:30 p.m. while Saskatchewan has the weekend off and will travel to visit the Georgia Swarm on Saturday, January 6 at 7:05 PM.
Justin Ivey, Co-Editor & Beat Writer New England Black Wolves
Lacrosse is Awesome