New England lacrosse fans will get their first look at Callum Crawford and Johnny Powless in Black Wolves uniforms in a hugely important NLL East home game against the Toronto Rock on Friday night.

The season series standings tiebreaker will be up for grabs in the teams’ third and final meeting. Toronto won 21-9 at home Jan. 27 and New England won 8-7 in overtime in Toronto last Sunday, improving its first-place record to 6-4 and shunting the Rock, 5-6, to fourth place.

Ten of the 19 players in the Black Wolves lineup were not on the team last season, and all the changes are finally bearing fruit.

Crawford, acquired from Buffalo in exchange for former league MVP Shawn Evans, played his first game for his new team and the 6-foot-3 veteran looked awesome on the same side of the floor as 6-foot-4 Kevin Crowley, who scored his third goal by firing an overhand shot into the far top corner of the Rock net 2:08 into extra time.

“I told him I just wanted to kiss him on the lips when he scored that goal because I had nothing left,” Crawford said of Crowley. “A guy who can take the game into his own hands in moments like that is special.”

“We’re still feeling each other out a little bit,” Crowley said of playing in close quarters with Crawford. “I’m looking forward to the rest of the season with him.”

It was the second game with the Black Wolves for lefty Powless, who came over from Georgia for draft picks. He debuted with his new team in a 12-11 overtime road win against Vancouver the previous weekend.

Coach Glenn Clark might finally be satisfied with the mix he has up front after all the personnel changes.

“We had opportunities presented to us and we thought they were going to make us better so we took advantage and made the changes,” he said. “We think they make us better all-around and we’re happy with them.”

Stephan Leblanc, acquired from Toronto for Sheldon Burns just before Christmas after spending his first nine NLL seasons with the Rock, was a winner as an Air Canada Centre visitor for the first time. He’s meshing effectively on the left side of the attack with Kevin Buchanan. It was a perfectly-placed Leblanc pass to a sprinting Buchanan that set up the second of three consecutive first-quarter goals by Buchanan.

“It feels good,” Leblanc said of the OT win. “I still have lots of ties to [the Rock] and lots of friends there. Between me and them, I’d rather be the guy coming out on top but I don’t wish them any ill will.

“It was a big one, especially with Johnny and Callum coming in. It’s a new-look offense so we’re going to need some time to gel. Hopefully, we’ll keep getting better and have another one on Friday.”

It’s hard to imagine goaltenders Aaron Bold of the Black Wolves and Nick Rose of the Rock playing any better than they did Sunday. They each made 51 saves, including several that had some of the 10,259 spectators in disbelief.

“You don’t win in this league without your goalie playing big,” Clark said of Bold. “He was big.”

Rose was, too.

Now they’ll do it again Friday.

“I just looked at the standings,” Leblanc said. “I’m not always up on that but my (father) pointed it out to me and like the East is tight. To get a divisional win is huge. Friday becomes even more important because it’ll decide the season series between us so we can expect a hell of a game.”

Added Crowley: “Division opponents during the second half of the season, the stakes are a lot higher.”

He Gets Around

Callum Crawford, 33, is with his eighth NLL team.

“Everybody made me feel at home right away,” he said. “It’s a great group of guys. No egos. That always makes it welcoming.”

He has at least one sweater from all the teams for whom he’s played.

“My mother collects them. I have a whole wardrobe. I don’t think I need to buy clothing ever again. I’ve got like six from Minnesota, at least. Every year you get to keep one. It’s in our CBA.”

In his 13th season, Crawford has rarely seen division standings as tight as they are today.

“The East is crazy,” he said. “Everybody’s basically in a big clump so every game is super valuable. It’s different from the usual for it to be this close. It speaks wonders for the league’s level of talent.”

Road Trips

Every game on New England’s 18-game schedule this season is a road trip for goaltender Aaron Bold, who works as a personal trainer in Edmonton. It is more than 2,000 miles from Alberta’s capital to home games in Uncasville, Conn.

“There are long flights, long hours, but a lot of people do that in this league,” he said. “I’m fortunate to still be playing and, hopefully, I’m playing when I’m well over 40.”

He is about to open Bold Athletics Plus Fitness in Edmonton to offer sports-specific training and lacrosse development.

“It’s a great dream that is coming true,” he said.

Battling Rose on Sunday was a highlight of his season to date.

“That’s why we play this game — for those types of battles, those types of games,” he said. “Those are epic games people are going to remember. That’s what the sport is all about. That’s why we play this game. We love this game. It’s a battle.”

Kevin Buchanan on Bold: “That performance was epic. He plays with passion, with all of his heart.”

What A Relief

Brett Manney was penalized at 12:37 of the fourth quarter and was one relieved New England defenseman when Toronto failed to score while he sat uneasily in the penalty box. As it turned out, it was the fourth time this season opponents were held to nine or fewer goals.

Manney and his teammates hadn’t forgotten how they were embarrassed on their previous visit.

“We had a chip on our shoulder,” he said. “We remembered what happened [last time] and, additionally, it’s a short week. We play them again Friday. So, with the season series up for grabs, the veterans in the room let that be known and that the game could have repercussions down the road. There was a little bit more fire in the guys.”

Brock in Rehab

Veteran defenseman David Brock has been on the injured list for three games. He’s aiming to return for a game in Buffalo on March 31.

“We’ve had some injuries and there have been some young defensemen slotted in who have played well for us,” said vet D-man Derek Suddons.