Knighthawks Open 2009 Season Saturday Against Philadelphia
Published on January 9, 2009 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release
The Rochester Knighthawks open their 15th season against a longtime rival, the Philadelphia Wings, in an 8:05 p.m. East Division showdown at The Blue Cross Arena on Saturday, January 10th. The game will be broadcast live on WYSL 1040-AM and wysl1040.com. Fans can also watch the game live online and free of charge via the NLL Network at NLL.com. The contest will also be televised taped-delayed on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26. After the game, the Knighthawks will hold a full-team autograph session on the turf.
TV Giveaway: One lucky fan will win a HD Flat Screen Television. Ballots can be picked up upon entry and turned in at the DemocratandChronicle.com Info Zone in the upper atrium. No purchase is necessary to enter.
Head-to-Head: Rochester leads the all-time series with a mark of 17-14. The game on January 10th is the first of two games against the Wings this season. Rochester concludes the season on Saturday, April 18th with a home game against Philadelphia.
Knighthawk Notes: Rochester enters the season after an offseason of change with a new majority owner (Curt Styres), general manager (Regy Thorpe), coaching staff and 11 new players on the active roster. The biggest news was the addition of the Gait brothers, Paul and Gary. Paul will make his head coaching debut on January 10th and Gary will make his return to the NLL after a three-year hiatus. Gary ranks second in league history in goals (596), third in assists (495) and second in points (1,091). The team will enter the season without two of its top scorers from last season as John Grant and Scott Evans recover from injuries. The Knighthawks will look for scoring from two-time NLL All-Pro Shawn Williams, Shawn Evans, Ken Millin, Joe Walters, Jason Henhawk and Mat MacLeod. On defense, the Knighthawks added more toughness back with the additions of Troy Bonterre and Kyle Laverty. Further newcomers include transition man Joel McCready, defense/transition players Mac Allen and Andrew Spack, and defenseman Brock Boyle. The Knighthawks last addition was goaltender Derek Collins, who enters his 10th season of pro lacrosse in 2009. He began his career with the K-Hawks back in 1996.
Inside the Numbers: Rochester missed the postseason for the first time in team history in 2008 after a run of 13 straight seasons. Rochester is 7-7 all-time in home openers.
Walters selected as one of the top rookies: Rochester Knighthawks forward Joe Walters was selected the fifth best rookie in the National Lacrosse League this week by Steve Kojima of the NLL insider. The Rochester native was a four-time All-American at Maryland and in 2008 he won a Major League Lacrosse title en route to Playoff MVP and All-MLL Team honors.
Gait brothers return to where it once ended: Gary and Paul's last game in the NLL as players, which was a 13-12 loss to the Rochester Knighthawks at The Blue Cross Arena, was on April 15, 2005. Gary had five goals and one assist, while Paul chipped in one goal and one assist. Gary's last professional goal was at 4:03 of the fourth quarter.
Wings Notes: Philadelphia enters the game after losing its season opener, 15-11, to the Buffalo Bandits on January 3rd at HSBC Arena. Geoff Snider led the Wings with one goal, five assists, 17 loose balls and 26 faceoff wins. Drew Westervelt also chipped in three goals and two assists. Rob Blasdell made 25 saves in a relief effort. Thus, he moved just 19 saves away from becoming only the sixth goalie in league history to reach 4,000 saves. The Wings were without 2008 League MVP Athan Iannucci, who is recovering from an offseason knee injury. In 2008, he broke Gary Gait's single-season goals record of 61, by registering an astounding 71 goals. The game in Rochester is the second of three road games in four contests to start the season for the Wings. Philadelphia heads home to play the Boston Blazers on Friday, January 23rd before leaving to battle the Blazers the following night at TD Banknorth Garden. Last season, the Wings ended a five-year playoff drought, but were eliminated in the opening round by the Bandits.
Next Week: After tonight's game, Rochester hits the road for a tough two-game set. The Knighthawks open the road trip on Friday, January 16th against the defending champion Buffalo Bandits at 7:30 p.m. at HSBC Arena. The game will be broadcast tape-delayed at 10:00 p.m. on WYSL 1040-AM and wysl1040.com. Then on Sunday, January 18th, Rochester battles the 2008 Western Division champion San Jose Stealth at 8:30 p.m. at HP Pavilion. The game will be broadcast live on WYSL 1040-AM and wysl1040.com.
Next Home Game: Rochester's next home game is Saturday, January 24th against the New York Titans at 7:35 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on WYSL 1040-AM and wysl1040.com. The contest will also be televised taped-delayed on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.
Hall of Fame Night: The Rochester Knighthawks will hold their inaugural Hall of Fame Night on Saturday, January 31st. That night, the franchise will induct former Head Coach Paul Day and forwards Tim Soudan and Duane Jacobs. The historic evening will also include a jersey auction to honor the Hall of Fame inductees, as three 1997 replica championship jerseys will be auctioned off with proceeds going to CURE Childhood Cancer Association. The silent auction will also include 1997 jerseys for current Knighthawks John Grant and Gary Gait. Further, the Knighthawks will hold an autograph session at the end of the game in the lower atrium lobby, which will feature the Hall of Fame inductees and other past Knighthawks players and coaches.
Knighthawks to join Amerks at CF Foundation Dinner: The Rochester Knighthawks lacrosse team will team up with the Rochester Americans this year to participate in the 19th Annual Celebrity Waiter Dinner & Auction. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, February 25th at The Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial. Donations to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Rochester fund on-going, groundbreaking medical research aimed at curing and controlling cystic fibrosis. The CF Ambassador of Hope is again Kyle Schuhart. VIP registration is at 5:45 p.m. and general admission registration is at 6:00 p.m. General admission tickets are just $60 and VIP tickets are $75. For dinner, auction and ticket information, contact the Rochester chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at (585) 697-0777 or go to http://rochester.cff.org/celebritywaiters.
National Lacrosse League Stories from January 9, 2009
- Roughnecks Home Opener Kicks Off 7:00 PM Saturday - Calgary Roughnecks
- Knighthawks Open 2009 Season Saturday Against Philadelphia - Rochester Knighthawks
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