They may have been overlooked in the offseason, but they won’t be any more. The New England Black Wolves have proven they’re among the league’s contenders after their first two games.

Callum Crawford is humming along, notching 13 points in two outings, and Andrew Kew is fitting right in at the pro level as New England has secured a pair of impressive victories through the first three weeks of the National Lacrosse League season. The Black Wolves opened with a 12-8 victory at Toronto, then took to the road again this weekend to earn a 12-8 upset of Saskatchewan, the Western Division favorite.

Callum Crawford's hat trick led the New England Black Wolves over the Saskatchewan Rush 12-8. pic.twitter.com/loEpDjLRlp

— NLL (@NLL) December 15, 2019

The Black Wolves never trailed against the Rush, opening the game on a 6-1 run that included four straight goals after Saskatchewan’s first. Crawford and Kew each recorded a game-high six points, and Reilly O’Connor was close behind with five points. Doug Jamieson had another strong outing in cage, making 44 saves and continuing to prove the Black Wolves were correct to elevate him to starter status.

“I just try to go steady, make the saves that I should and my team played awesome tonight so they’ve got to get a lot of credit too,” Jamieson said after the game on B/R Live. “A lot of people didn’t think we’d win these two games, so it’s exciting. We’ve got to keep that chip on our shoulder.”

The Georgia Swarm also moved to 2-0, and their defense was suffocating again in a 12-6 victory against the Philadelphia Wings. Philadelphia, the last team to make its season debut, was never able to get into a rhythm and didn't score more than two goals in a quarter.

Combined, the Swarm have allowed just 10 goals through their first two games.

“Once again, it really comes down to execution, and we’ve got a number of guys defensively that are getting sticks in lanes or picking up key loose balls, and offensively, we’re really moving the ball well and finding our shots,” Swarm coach Ed Comeau told GeorgiaSwarm.com after securing his 100th career regular-season win. “I think it’s a group effort, but certainly if you want to be successful in this league, you have to have really high contributions from your special teams, and we’re getting that so far.”

Lyle Thompson notched seven points for a second straight game, tying him with Vancouver’s Mitch Jones for the league lead (14). Jordan Hall, Shayne Jackson and Randy Staats each had five points.

“I like to think I still have a few years until I’m in my prime,” Thompson said. “I feel like that’s the sort of attitude you have to have if you want to continue to produce consistently.”

Slow out the gate

The New York Riptide and San Diego Seals both dropped to 0-2 on Saturday, putting both in early holes.

As an expansion team, New York’s struggles are somewhat expected. The Riptide made progress from their debut, scoring six more times than they did against Halifax, but they still fell 14-10 on the road against the Vancouver Warriors.

Mitch Jones earned his 300th career point on a nine-point day (four goals, five assists), while Keegan Ball added six points and Riley Loewen five. Matt Beers had a goal and three assists on a night in which he was honored with a bobblehead giveaway.

Goals, assists, and point #300 for his career!

Have yourself a night @MitchJones74

FINAL: @nllwarriors: 14@newyorkriptide: 10 pic.twitter.com/OqDEDmMXqB

— NLL (@NLL) December 15, 2019

San Diego is coming off a stellar first season but has adjusted much of its offense and is dealing with injuries to start the year. The Seals suffered as Toronto got back on track with a 13-6 home victory backed by its top weapons.

Dan Dawson earned a hat trick against his former team, combining with Tom Schreiber for six goals. Schreiber also did this:

If you need me, I'll be watching this one on loop for the rest of the night @TomSchreiber26 with the nasty no-look#SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/2S5HRnL7v4

— NLL (@NLL) December 15, 2019

Rob Hellyer and Dan Craig each had five points in a game in which Toronto got out to a quick 5-0 advantage.

“Nobody was happy with how we played last week,” Rock coach Matt Sawyer said after the game. “These guys were challenged throughout the week to be better and they certainly were.”

Wes Berg and Connor Fields were the only Seals to find the pack of the net, scoring four goals and two goals, respectively.

Noteworthy

The NLL announced it will air a Game of the Week on Twitter for free for the rest of the season. The slate opened with the New England-Saskatchewan matchup … Georgia coach Ed Comeau notched his 100th career regular season victory, joining Derek Keenan, Darris Kilgour and Troy Cordingley as the only coaches in league history to accomplish the feat. … Vancouver was without Nik Bilic, who suffered an injury in Week 1. The Warriors haven’t specified the injury and have only said that he likely will be out for the foreseeable future … New England’s Andrew Kew is up to 10 points, taking an early lead in the rookie scoring race. New York’s Travis Longboat is second with five points after a four-point performance against Vancouver.

Up Next

It’s a somewhat quiet weekend before Christmas featuring a pair of games on Saturday. The Halifax Thunderbirds travel to Rochester to meet their former selves at 6 p.m. ET, while Calgary plays its first game without Dane Dobbie when the Riggers host Colorado at 9:30 p.m.