Junior Knighthawks a Perfect 10
Published on August 31, 2014 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release
In May, the Rochester Knighthawks made National Lacrosse League history after winning their third straight Champion's Cup. On Sunday, the Junior Knighthawks can duplicate that feat by winning three Cups at the Junior NLL Tournament.
The Pee Wee, Bantam and Midget teams are a combined 10-0, and have all advanced to Sunday's Playoff round. The Pee Wee team has earned the most wins, going 4-0 at the event being held at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (TRAC). On Day Two, the Junior Knighthawks strung together impressive wins over the Junior Mammoth and the Junior Stealth, winning 14-1 and 14-2, respectively. The Junior Knighthawks will play the Junior Rush at 10:00 a.m. Sunday in the semifinals.
The Pee Wee kids were all smiles as they talked about representing the three-time defending NLL Champion Knighthawks. The team is coached by NLL Hall of Fame goalie Pat O'Toole, Chris Horsman and Cam Hill.
"It feels good. It's really cool because it's like you get to play in the NLL," said Junior Knighthawk Ty Carty.
"It's cool because I get to meet other people and it's also cool because Rochester is my favorite team," said Bowie Horsman. "It's been really fun."
Connor O'Toole also echoed the sentiments of his Junior Knighthawks teammates. O'Toole, who is wearing No. 48, has been just as solid in goal as his counterpart with the big club, Matt Vinc. O'Toole leads the Pee Wee circuit with a paltry 1.33 goals-against average.
The Junior Knighthawks have four players in the Top 10 in points. Tyler Davis is tied for third with 13 points (6+7), while Ross Hill is fifth with 12 (4+8). Richie Albert's 11 points are tied for sixth and Drew Fitzhenry's 10 points are tied for 10th after four games.
The Junior Knighthawks Bantam team has enjoyed similar success, remaining undefeated after beating the Junior Bandits 20-2. For the second straight season, Coach Ron Elijah led his team to an undefeated record in the round-robin. He is joined on the bench by fellow coaches Ronnie Elijah-Brown and Bill Montour.
"They have come together really quick here. They have done a really good job," said Elijah. I couldn't be happier with what I have seen."
On Saturday, the Junior Knighthawks got a six-point (3+3) effort from Chase Scanlan and five-point performances from Landon General and Greg Elijah-Brown. Marshall Powless, the brother of Knighthawk Johnny Powless, had one goal and three assists. The Knighthawks raced out to a 10-0 lead after the first 20 minutes of play and matched their goal output in the second half to improve to 3-0. The Junior Knighthawks will try to win their first Champion's Cup at the Bantam level after coming close last season. They will battle the Junior Rock in the Championship Game at 5:30 p.m.
"It's an honor to play for the Knighthawks. Hopefully, we can win it this year," said Scanlan. "(Wearing the Knighthawks uniform) makes me want to try even harder to win."
Scanlan is second in the Bantam Division with 21 points (12+9). William Carnduff (13+6), Payton Cormier (8+7) and Landon General (7+5) have also been impressive for the Junior Knighthawks. Goalie Owen Dew leads his age group with a 3-0 record and a 6.50 goals-against average.
The Midget team also improved to 3-0, as they knocked off the Junior Stealth 16-9. The Junior Knighthawks secured the win by scoring five unanswered goals to break open a two-goal game. The offense was powered by Daylen Hill (1+4) and Sidney Powless (3+1), who is one of the younger brothers of Knighthawks star Johnny Powless.
"It feels good playing for the team my brother plays for," said Sidney, who is wearing Johnny's No. 93. "We're moving the ball around to every player and hitting the open man."
The Junior Knighthawks jumped to a 4-1 lead in the first and 5-4 in the second, but the Junior Stealth fought back to tie the game both times. The Knighthawks, however, responded with goals from eight different players as they unleashed their numerous offensive weapons. In goal, Briley Miller was solid in net as he held the Junior Stealth off the board for the final seven minutes.
"It's the best when you know you are working hard for all the guys on your team," said Jerry Staats, who had two assists. "It's great to play with guys you grew up with and love playing the game with. We have chemistry with each other."
"This is a good bunch of kids, and they are moving the ball really well," said Coach Chris Driscoll. "They are really committed to defense, we have good goaltending and you have guys like Sid Powless, who got the game ball tonight. I have seen his older brother play and I have seen signs of that coming from Sid. It's really nice to watch."
The Midget team is being coached by Miles General, Nick Skye, six-time NLL Champion Chris Driscoll, and Knighthawks Owner and General Manager Curt Styres. The Junior Knighthawks clinched the Red Division title via a tiebreaker and will play in an 11:00 a.m. semifinal Sunday.
"It's great playing for the Knighthawks. They won the championship last year," said Daylen Hill. "It seems like all the (Junior Knighthawks) teams are doing well. It would nice if we could sweep the whole thing."
Rochester is one of several teams representing different NLL cities in the tournament for their own version of the Champion's Cup. Last season, the Knighthawks were joined by the Buffalo Bandits, Colorado Mammoth, Minnesota Swarm, Toronto Rock and Vancouver Stealth at the weekend-long competition at the TRAC. The tournament is being officiated by NLL referees and being played under the NLL's rulebook.
National Lacrosse League Stories from August 31, 2014
- Jr. Rock Take Home Peewee Championship - Toronto Rock
- Junior Knighthawks a Perfect 10 - Rochester Knighthawks
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