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Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks Embarking on 'Rockin' Schedule

January 13, 2016 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


Rochester heads north of the border on Thursday, Jan. 14th to battle the Toronto Rock at the Air Canada Centre for the first of the two-game set this week. On Saturday, the Knighthawks will return home to host the Rock at Connors & Ferris Field at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:30 p.m. contests are part of a three-game in eight-day stretch for Rochester to open the season.

Both teams enter the weekday showdown looking for their first win after opening the season last Saturday. The Knighthawks will look to build upon their past success against Toronto, as they own an 18-5 record at home against their division rivals, and are 25-20 all-time against the Rock.

On Opening Night, Rochester welcomed back former NLL MVP Cody Jamieson to the lineup. All it took was 19 seconds for Jamieson to notch his first goal of the season. He would finish the night with a team-best two goals and five assists.

"That first one was a big one, it's a confidence builder," said Jamieson about his first tally. "I have been waiting a long time for that. I told all the guys you want to get comfortable early, so I knew what I was going to do the whole time."

Dan Dawson (3+2) and Cory Vitarelli (3+0) both posted hat tricks and sparked a second-half comeback. Rochester also received a two-goal effort from rookie defenseman Graeme Hossack. The second overall pick was one of three rookies in the lineup, joining fellow defensemen Brad Gillies and Adam Bomberry. Rookie Derek Searle was also on the active roster, which marked the first time in the team's 22-year history that the Knighthawks opened a season with four rookie defensemen on its roster.

"Bomberry, Hossack and Gillies all played well," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. "Our biggest thing for them was to just go and play. 'Abbey' (Bomberry) logged a lot of minutes taking faceoffs; Gillies had a good game in our end and transitioned the ball for us with confidence, and Hossack played very solid 'D' and scored two big goals. It was a good start for all of them."

This week, the Knighthawks made two player moves, activating goalie Angus Goodleaf and defenseman Dylan Evans. Goodleaf was 2-0 last season with a 7.85 goals-against average and an .813 save percentage. He is also coming off an incredible two-week run as the starting goalie for the Iroquois Nationals at the 2015 FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championship. Behind the stellar play of Goodleaf, the Iroquois captured a silver medal.

With the return of Evans, the Knighthawks add one of their top faceoff men in team history. Evans, who is third all-time, had seven points, including a career-high two goals, and was second on the Knighthawks with 126 loose balls last season.

Hasen commented on the intangibles that the duo bring to the team.

"Familiarity and experience are the biggest factors out of Dylan and 'Gussy'," he said. "Both are fierce competitors and we know exactly what they're going to bring to the floor."

Both games this week will be broadcast on 107.3 The Bull, with the pregame show starting at 7:15 p.m. Fans can listen to the games on their mobile devices and computers by downloading the iHeartRadio app at iHeartRadio.com. The contests will also be carried live on FOX Sports GO.

Tickets for Saturday's game are still available at all Ticketmaster outlets and ticketmaster.com. Fans arriving early will be able to take part in the pregame party, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the upper atrium bar area and includes live music and drink specials.

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National Lacrosse League Stories from January 13, 2016


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