Wolves’ changes have begun to pay off ... just in time
New England has won three straight ... and can clinch divisional title with victory on Sunday
Mohegan — Rich Lisk, general manager of the New England Black Wolves, understands the mentality of a passionate sports fan. He grew up on the Jersey Shore and attended Rutgers University.
“I was a Yankees fan,” Lisk said this week. “If you would have asked me growing up, from about 10-17 years old, I was going to be the next shortstop for the New York Yankees. But they had Derek Jeter. And I couldn't hit.
“… Sports breed passion. I get passionate. I'm a fan. I get it. That's the best thing about what we do for a living, the passion behind it.”
Therefore, Lisk understands that from a fan's perspective, this might have been a tough season to watch.
The Black Wolves traded star goalie Evan Kirk to Saskatchewan on Aug. 1, receiving goalie Aaron Bold. On Nov. 22, when the Wolves' final roster was set as the team finished training camp, defenseman Bill O'Brien — a fan favorite at Mohegan Sun Arena — did not make the cut.
In addition, New England traded away former National Lacrosse League Most Valuable Player Shawn Evans, another face of the franchise, to the Buffalo Bandits on Feb. 28 in exchange for forward Callum Crawford.
Lisk revamped the defense. Then he reconfigured the offense. All the while, he knew two things:
• He was making the decisions he felt were best to move the team forward.
• The new pieces would jell eventually.
The Black Wolves lost four straight games, dropping from first place in the NLL's Eastern Division to last. With four games remaining, there was only one thing that could fix things for the Wolves, who were now on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention. They had to win.
“The last three weeks, we kind of knew our backs were against the wall. We tried to treat every game like it was a playoff game.”
VETERAN DEFENSEMAN BRETT MANNEY
“It took a little while,” Lisk said.
The Black Wolves, led by third-year coach Glenn Clark, haven't lost since.
Headed into Sunday's regular-season finale against Georgia (5 p.m., Mohegan Sun Arena), they're in charge of their own playoff scenario. A win over the Swarm clinches the Eastern Division for the Wolves (9-8) and gives them a first-round playoff bye. That's the easiest way.
The Wolves could also earn a playoff bid before they take the floor, if fourth-place Toronto falls to Colorado on Saturday night.
If Toronto wins, however, and New England follows with a loss to Georgia, the Black Wolves would be eliminated from the playoffs.
The top three teams in each division qualify for the postseason. Saskatchewan (13-4), Colorado (10-7) and Calgary (8-9) have all qualified in the West. The East has been a bit more jumbled.
The Wolves have won consecutive games against Calgary at home (13-12 in overtime), at Colorado (10-6) and at Rochester (11-6), solidifying their defense in time to regain their playoff footing.
“It was a grind. We were on a skid,” Clark said this week in a conference call. “We had very little, if any, wiggle room. Looking forward, we knew that as a minimum, we were going to have to win three of four of those games, now maybe four. The group responded well. This was certainly our best stretch of lacrosse these last three games.”
“The last three weeks, we kind of knew our backs were against the wall,” Black Wolves defenseman Brett Manney said during an interview session Friday at the Mohegan Tribal Government Building. “We tried to treat every game like it was a playoff game. … The Calgary game was up and down, we had to go to Colorado, we had to go to Rochester and that's not an easy barn to win.”
Manney, in his 10th season in the league, felt things would turn around by virtue of the caliber of players Lisk was able to bring to Connecticut.
“The guys that he brought in were professionals,” Manney said. “Callum Crawford has been in this league for 13 years. Johnny Powless has been in the league since he was 17. They weren't rookies. The fruits of the labor are starting to happen over the last couple weeks.”
Lisk said with a laugh that he speaks to Clark on the phone more than he speaks to his own wife.
“(Fans) have said, 'This guy's not on the team anymore. That guy's not on the team anymore.' People are going to question what we are doing,” Lisk said. “Some people said it was stupidity. … We're finally getting to the point where it's the right time. We had all of these new pieces and we needed to have them jell.
“I'm very happy with the position we're in right now.” v.fulkerson@theday.com