WINGS DROP OT HEARTBREAKER IN NEW ENGLAND
An epic goaltending duel developed in the fourth quarter between the Philadelphia Wings and the New England Black Wolves on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena, but it was New England that finally broke the stalemate when Callum Crawford scored 3:47 into overtime to give the Black Wolves an 8-7 win. Doug Jamison stymied the Wings for more than 21 minutes, stopping all 13 shots he saw in the fourth quarter and overtime, to lift New England to the victory in the first of three games this season between the East Division rivals. Zach Higgins was practically equal in the Wings crease, denying 12 of 13 Black Wolves shots in the fourth quarter and turning away 47 shots on the night.
It was Philadelphia that put on a defensive show in the first half, outscoring New England 4-0 in the second quarter to take a 5-2 lead at halftime and holding Crawford, the league’s leading scorer, to just one goal and no assists in the half. Anthony Joaquim had scored his first of the season in the first quarter before Kevin Crowley, Alex Pace, Blaze Riorden and Matt Rambo all scored in the second frame. It was just the second time the Wings have held an opponent scoreless over an entire period, having done it on March 15 of last season in the third quarter at San Diego. The Wings held New England to just eight shots in the frame, and Higgins stopped 18 of 20 in the first half.
The Black Wolves regained momentum in the third when they started off the half with three goals over the first six minutes. Rambo curbed the momentum at the 8:09 mark, and after another New England tally shortly afterward, Rambo completed the hat trick with 2:57 left in the third to give the Wings a 7-6 lead.
However, it would be the final goal the Wings scored on the night despite several quality chances on Jamieson in the fourth quarter. The fourth-year netminder was perfect the rest of the way, but Higgins nearly equaled him – after than the tying goal 3:36 into the fourth from Joe Resetarits, Higgins matched Jamieson save for save through the rest of the quarter and into the overtime period. Crawford finally ended it when he got around the corner and took to the air before tucking one home.
Rambo’s three goals led the way for the Wings; he also led the team with 13 shots on goal. Pace’s goal was his first NLL tally. Crowley and Cory Vitarelli had two assists apiece, but Brett Hickey was kept off the board despite 11 shots. Liam Byrnes collected nine loose balls and Kiel Matisz picked up seven. Trevor Baptiste had another outstanding night on the faceoff dot, winning 14 of 19 draws. The Wings fired 57 shots on Jamieson, who took third-star honors with 50 saves.
The Wings get an opportunity to rebound tomorrow night when they host the Rochester Knighthawks at the Wells Fargo Center at 7:00. Tickets for that and all home games are available at WingsLAX.com.
MEDIA RESOURCES
Full boxscore:
https://laxreports.sportlogiq.com/nll/GS2230.html
Game Highlight Melt
https://grabyo.com/g/v/kBTdYI576S1
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