The New England Wolves MJHL opened up 2015 in style winning home games against the Vermont Lumberjacks on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Saturday’s 5-3 win was a high-paced offensive game. Scorers included Blake Babineau, Kevin Morello, Dillon Smith and 2 by newcomer Matt Michaud. Defensemen Josh Grasso and Hunter Craig each had 2 assists. Wolves netminder Harley Eliason was solid, stopping 20 of the 23 shots he faced.

Sunday’s 9am game was a completely different affair, as both teams committed to sturdy defensive play and the goaltenders of both teams shined. The Wolves penalty killers successfully killed off all 7 opportunities by Vermont’s league- leading unit, and kept the MJHL leading goal scorer, Ryan Flanagan (32 goals in 27 games) off of the scoresheet. Tied at 0-0 at the end of regulation play, 3:33 into overtime, newcomer Ryan Padden (Fort Peck, MT) recovered a puck in transition and slid in a backhand shot through the goaltenders legs to secure the victory. Zach Skop stopped all 42 of the shots that came his way.