Black Wolves Claw Back Vs. Bandits In Exhibition, 9-7

The New England Black Wolves used a six-goal fourth-quarter surge including the go-ahead tally by reigning league MVP Shawn Evans with 1:25 left to take down the Buffalo Bandits, who were held scoreless in the final frame, for a 9-7 exhibition win from PPL Center in Allentown, PA.

Buffalo jumped out to the early 1-0 lead in the first minute via sniper Ryan Benesch, but New England tied it midway through the first quarter and the teams then traded goals to make it 2-2 after one. It was all Bandits in the second quarter as the team scored three unanswered from Dhane Smith, Anthony Malcom and Daryl Veltman for a 5-2 halftime lead. The Bandits were seemingly in control after another 15 minutes with goals from Smith again and Chap Culp for a 7-3 lead headed into the fourth.

Then Evans took over with powerplay and shorthanded goals before goals by Kyle Buchanan and Pat Saunders tied the game at 7-7 with 4:48 remaining on the clock. Just over three minutes later, Evans bounced a one-hopper off the turf for what proved to be the game-winning goal, as New England added an empty netter to seal the deal.

The Black Wolves wore the jerseys of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, on the unique black and gold turf. Philadelphia Wings legends Jake Bergey and Tom Slate were on hand for the festivities and took part in the commemorative opening faceoff and later signed autographs for fans in the concourse of the state-of-the-art facility.