New England Lacrosse Journal

24 NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL January-February 2020 Subscribe today at laxjournal.com/subscribe NEW ENGLAND BLACK WOLVES NEW ENGLAND BLACK WOLVES By Phil Shore D OUG JAMIESON stood between the pipes and looked across the floor. Standing in the opposing goal was his friend, Alex Buque, wearing a New York Riptide uniform. Just one year prior, Jamieson and Buque were teammates and splitting starts in the beginning of the season for the New England Black Wolves. Now opponents, however, Jamieson outplayed Buque making 32 saves to help the Black Wolves beat the Riptide last month, 21-11, and improve to 3-0. It was the latest example of why Jamieson has earned the starting goalie position. "I've been steady," Jamieson said. "I make the saves the team expects me to make. Our defense has been unreal so far. So many young guys are stepping up. Nick Chaykowsky, Mike Byrne and Colton Watkinson are proving they de- serve to be here. "I try to be a calm, steady presence. They're going to score sometimes but keep your head up and be positive. That's what I try to do, keep everyone calm." Jamieson was a highly-touted pros- pect coming into the 2016 Entry Draft thanks in part to the success he had with 2014 Minto Cup champion Six Nation Arrows. He was on the radar of both Black Wolves general manager Rich Lisk and head coach Glenn Clark. Lisk, however, did not think his team would have a chance to draft Jamieson; heading into the draft, New England didn't have a pick until the third round, and Jamieson was projected to be se- lected in the first round. Lisk made a trade with the Rush on draft day that allowed the team to get into the second round, and Jamieson – and the other goalies – slipped down the draft board. The first goalie wasn't taken until Kevin Orlemon went to Buf- falo with the eighth pick in the second round, number 18 overall. New England held the next pick, and Lisk was ecstatic. "It was a no-brainer for us to take him," Lisk said. "I remember talking to people at Mohegan, and this trib- al chairman, Kevin Brown. He said, 'There's this Native (American) goalie, Doug Jamieson. What do you think?' And I said, 'He's going to be the best goalie in the draft.'" Lisk had a number of reasons why he thought so highly of Jamieson. "In Juniors, he was probably the best goaltender in Canada," he said. "He's got the tools. He's a big guy who's also very agile. That's very huge for us. His confidence level is getting better every game. As a goalie, you're on an island by yourself. If your defense plays well, you look good. If they don't, you're going to see a lot of shots. "He doesn't get upset," added Lisk, who is stepping down as GM at the end of the month. "You don't see his face change. He has the ability to move on to the next game. That's a tough thing to do. He's a special talent. He's a student of this game. He's a lacrosse aficionado. It's amazing how much he knows and studies the ins and outs and statistics. It's imbedded in him." Jamieson may have been New Eng- land's goalie of the future, but the op- erative word in that phrase was future. The Black Wolves already had Evan Kirk coming off a season where he was the NLL Goalie of the Year and named to the NLL All-Pro Team. Jamieson backed up Kirk for the 2017 season, and Kirk was traded to Saskatchewan the following offseason. Even then, it wasn't time for Jamieson to take over; New England acquired goaltender Aaron Bold in the Kirk trade, and Jamieson saw only 90 min- utes of game action in 2018. History repeated itself the following offseason: the starting goalie – Bold – signed elsewhere, yet the Black Wolves brought in another goaltender, trading a first-round pick to Buffalo for Buque. According to Lisk, the team acquired Buque to provide a veteran presence at the position, and the plan was to form a goaltending platoon. Sitting for two seasons (and part of a third season) was frustrating for Jamie- son, but he took advantage of the time to learn as much as he could from his teammates. He also worked with Black Wolves video coach Mike McKay, a for- mer NLL goaltender, and he said Lisk and Clark also communicated with him frequently, urging him to keep working and his time would come. That time came in a February game against the Toronto Rock, Jamieson's hometown team that he watched as a kid. Jamieson played all 60 minutes, allowing only 11 goals while making 47 saves, including 15 in the fourth quarter. That fourth quarter included Jamieson and the defense killing a five-minute penalty to preserve the victory. New England Black Wolves HIS TIME HIS TIME TO SHINE TO SHINE Patient Jamieson earned his chance to be the No. 1 goalie, and he's making the most of it for unbeaten Wolves Continued on Page 26

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