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NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks to Host Toronto on Hall of Fame Night

January 30, 2009 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


Game Night: The Rochester Knighthawks host the Toronto Rock on Saturday, January 31st at 7:35 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. The Knighthawks will hold their inaugural Hall of Fame Night that evening, which is sponsored by CURE Childhood Cancer Association and IKON Office Solutions. The franchise will induct former Head Coach Paul Day and forwards Tim Soudan and Duane Jacobs. The game will be broadcast live on WYSL 1040-AM and wysl1040.com. Fans can watch the game live online via the NLL Network at NLL.com and on knighthawks.net.

Jersey Auction: The historic evening will 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.

Meet Alumni: The team will hold an autograph session at the end of the game on the turf, which will feature the Hall of Fame inductees, and past and present Knighthawks players and coaches. Former Knighthawks attending the event include Pat Campbell, Paul Day, Tom Emmick, Mark Fietta, Paul Gait, Mike Hasen, Duane Jacobs, Carl Jutzin, Jeremy Hollenbeck, Pat McCready, Bill Meagher, Randy Mearns, Neal Powless, Matt Riter, Brent Rothfuss, Tim Soudan, Shawn Wilkins, Casey Zaph and former trainer Alan Freedman.

Sports Night: The Knighthawks will host local sports celebrities, mascots and dart tournaments on Saturday as part of Sports Night. Prior to the game, fans can meet and get autographs from Rochester Red Wings manager Stan Cliburn and Rhinos goalie Scott Vallow in the upper atrium lobby. Fans of all ages can also get high-fives from Red Wings mascots Spikes and Mittsy, Rex the Rhino, The Amerks Moose, and the Amerks and Knighthawks Eagle, R. Thunder. The Genesee Valley Dart Association will hold a steel tip dart tournament in the riverside room and Cap Amusement will hold a soft tip dart tourney in the same room. The finals will be held in the lower atrium lobby at 6:00 p.m. Call Rachel Aleese for more information at (585) 454-5335, ext. 3032.

Toga Party and Collector's Cup: Fans are encouraged to wear togas to the game as the Knighthawks offer college students a special discount. College students can receive a $10 ticket in the 200 corner seating area by showing their college ID at the Box Office. In addition, fans 21 and older can purchase a $4.00 Labatt blue or blue light in a commemorative Knighthawks cup. The first of the six cup series features Gary Gait.

Knighthawks Notes: Rochester fell to 0-4 for the first time in team history, following an 8-7 loss to the New York Titans on January 24th at The Blue Cross Arena. Pat O'Toole made 33 saves in his 2009 debut and also recorded one assist. Rochester was led by three points from Shawn Williams (1+2), Jason Henhawk (1+2) and Chris Schiller (1+2). Williams leads the team with 19 points (5+14). The game against Toronto is the first of two meetings between the two teams. Rochester has a 16-8 all-time record against the Rock. Rochester needs to win Saturday to avoid the first five-game losing streak in franchise history.

Kelly takes to the X: Rochester signed faceoff specialist Anthony Kelly to a one-year deal on Wednesday. Kelly, 28, enters his third season in the National Lacrosse League, having played for the New York Titans in 2007 and 2008. He appeared in seven games and recorded one assist, 22 loose balls, 72 faceoff wins and a 50 percent faceoff winning percentage. In the outdoor league, he spent three seasons with the LA Riptide (2006-08), playing in 34 games and recording 13 goals, one two-point goal and six assists. Kelly also collected 143 ground balls and won 50 percent of his faceoffs (485 of 964). In 2008, he registered a career-high eight points and 184 faceoff wins. He started every game during his four years with the Ohio State Buckeyes. He is still the only player in OSU history to lead the Buckeyes in ground balls in each of his four years.

Toronto Notes: The Rock (1-2) enter the contest after losing two straight games, which includes a 16-9 loss to the Calgary Roughnecks on January 17th. After the loss, Toronto replaced the entire coaching staff. Toronto replaced Glenn Clark and his staff with Jamie Batley. His assistant coaches will be Jim Milligan and Bob Keast. Jim Veltman was retained as an advisor. Forward Craig Conn may make his 2009 debut as he was moved to the active roster. The two-time NLL All-Star has played in 57 career games and has recorded 104 goals and 120 assists. The Rock have been led by Jason Crosbie (3+11) and Lewis Ratcliff (5+9). Goalie Bob Watson is among the leaders in saves with 114.

Next Game: The Knighthawks hit the road next game on Sunday, February 15th for an 8:00 p.m. contest against the New York Titans at Madison Square Garden. The game will be broadcast live on WYSL 1040-AM and wysl1040.com. Fans can watch the game live online via the NLL Network at NLL.com and on knighthawks.net.

Next Home Game: The Knighthawks host the New York Titans on Saturday, February 21st at 7:35 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. The first 5,000 fans will receive light up thundersticks, courtesy of Time Warner Cable. The game will be broadcast live on WYSL 1040-AM and wysl1040.com. Fans can watch the game live online via the NLL Network at NLL.com and on knighthawks.net.

Postgame Parties: Meet the players after each home game at the official postgame party at Legend's, located in the Clarion Riverside Hotel on East Main Street.

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