Knighthawks Host First-Place Philadelphia Saturday
Published on March 28, 2008 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release
(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Knighthawks host the first-place Philadelphia Wings in an East Division showdown at The Blue Cross Arena on Saturday, March 29th. The first 2,500 fans will receive a bike poster from Kent Ridley Excavating.
The 8:05 p.m. game will be broadcast live on WYSL 1040-AM, wysl1040.com and B2 Networks. The contest will also be televised live on Time Warner SportsNet Channel 26. In addition, the game will be carried live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Channel 147).
Rochester (4-6) enters the game in sixth place in the East after losing its last two games to teams with 1-7 records. Last Saturday, the Knighthawks dropped their third straight home game in a 12-11 loss to the Chicago Shamrox. The loss tied the team's longest home losing streak, which was set in 1998.
Philadelphia enters the contest with a half-game lead over the Minnesota Swarm for the top spot in the East. Last Saturday, the Wings lost 20-13 to the New York Titans to fall to 1-2 on the road this season. Philadelphia is trying to return to the NLL Playoffs for the first time since 2002.
Philadelphia leads the season series after defeating Rochester 15-14 at the Wachovia Center on January 18th. The Wings withstood a seven-goal Rochester rally in the fourth quarter to defeat the defending champions. Rochester leads the all-time series with a mark of 16-14.
The game Saturday features two of the top scorers in the National Lacrosse League in Rochester's John Grant and Philadelphia's Athan Iannucci. Grant is currently second in the league with 65 points (31+34) in 10 games. Iannucci leads the NLL with 43 goals and is seventh in the league with 61 points. With eight games to play, he has moved within 19 goals of breaking Gary Gait's league record of 61, which was set in 2003.
The contest also features two of the top loose ball men in the league. Geoff Snider leads the NLL with a 70-percent faceoff winning percentage and is second with 123 loose balls. Rochester's Steve Toll, the 2007 Transition Player of the Year, is third with 116. Rochester made one move at Wednesday's trade deadline, signing former draft pick Cory Vitarelli to a two-year deal. The 22-year-old forward won a Mann Cup with the Peterborough Lakers Senior team in 2007. In 2006, he captured a Minto Cup with the Junior "A" Peterborough Lakers. He played junior lacrosse in the Lakers system from 2001 to 2006 and collected 36 goals and 54 assists in 57 games. Vitarelli was the Rochester Knighthawks' fifth-round selection (61st overall) in the 2006 NLL Entry Draft.
The Wings added Brian Beisel, a free agent and 10-year pro, to their 23-man roster on March 25th. Biesel has 35 goals, 89 assists and 475 loose balls in 119 games. He also won two NLL Championships with the Toronto Rock (1999, 2005). He spent the 2007 season with the Arizona Sting.
After tonight's game, Rochester finishes the season with four of its last five games on the road. Next week, Rochester travels to play the Colorado Mammoth at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 3rd and then heads to Toronto to face the Rock on Saturday, April 5th at 7:00 p.m. Both games will be carried live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet (Channel 26).
Rochester's last home game is Saturday, April 12th against the Buffalo Bandits at 7:35 p.m. The Knighthawks will hold their annual jersey auction on Military Night with all proceeds going to Foodlink. That night, Rochester will wear special camouflage jerseys. It's also Awards Night, as the Knighthawks honor the best performances of the season.
National Lacrosse League Stories from March 28, 2008
- Knighthawks Host First-Place Philadelphia Saturday - Rochester Knighthawks
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