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Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks' West Division Road Trip Continues Saturday

March 22, 2018 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


Jake Withers of the Rochester Knighthawks and the Saskatchewan Rush faceoff
Jake Withers of the Rochester Knighthawks and the Saskatchewan Rush faceoff
(Rochester Knighthawks)

The Rochester Knighthawks will conclude their two-game West Division road trip on Saturday, March 24 in Saskatoon. The Knighthawks will battle the Saskatchewan Rush at 9:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Rochester will attempt to sweep the two-game regular season series against the top team in the West. The last time they met, the Knighthawks downed Saskatchewan 16-11 on Feb. 17. Rochester enters the game with a 6-7 record and is locked in a five-team battle for one of the three playoff spots in the East Division.

The Knighthawks have won four of their last five games, falling one goal short in their previous contest, 14-13 in Calgary. Rochester outscored the Roughnecks 8-4 in the second half and posted six goals in the fourth quarter.

The Knighthawks' second-half performance was a reflection of the kind of lacrosse they have been playing for the past five weeks. It will take a 60-minute effort similar to that to beat the Rush on their home turf Saturday night.

"We need to use the momentum from the second half in the game against the Rush and string together a full game," said Knighthawks forward Josh Currier.

"We have to be mentally prepared when the whistle blows," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. "We have to be ready to go."

Broadcast Information: The game will be broadcast on 107.3 The Bull and the iHeartRadio app. Fans can also watch the contest on NLL TV (NLLTV.com).

Scouting the Knighthawks: Last Saturday against Calgary, Kyle Jackson led the way with a team-high seven points (3+4), while Austin Shanks posted a career-high four goals and two assists. Joe Resetarits had a four-point night (2+2), while Cody Jamieson tied his season high with six assists. Rookie Jake Withers won a team rookie record 20 faceoffs to go along with 10 loose balls. He also passed Tyler Burton for seventh on the franchise's all-time faceoff wins list. Fellow rookie Adam Perroni made his professional debut and scooped up four loose balls. In goal, Angus Goodleaf made 22 saves in 33 minutes of work. Matt Vinc, who made 12 stops, remains second in the NLL with 473 saves.

Top Offenses on Display: The Rush and Knighthawks are ranked first and second in the NLL in goals. Saskatchewan has a league-leading 192 goals, while Rochester is second with 172.

Take me to Your Leaders: Joe Resetarits leads Rochester with a career-high 72 points, which is fourth best in the NLL. Resetarits is also fourth in the league with a career-best 46 assists, while Cody Jamieson is second with 48 assists. Kyle Jackson is tied for fifth in the NLL with a career-high 29 goals.

Young Guns: Austin Shanks is second in the league in points among rookies with 32, while Eric Fannell is third with 22.

Milestone Watch:

- Cody Jamieson is just five points away from reaching 600 in his career.

- Jake Withers (182) needs 18 faceoff wins to pass Craig Point for sixth place on the team's all-time list.

- Sid Smith has tied his career high in assists and points with five.

- Graeme Hossack, who has five goals, is two away from setting a career high.

- Joe Resetarits' 26 goals are just two away from a career high.

- Cory Vitarelli needs just one goal to pass Scott Evans for sole possession of fifth on the Knighthawks' all-time goal-scoring list.

Scouting the Rush: Saskatchewan owns a league-best 11-2 record. Since suffering the loss to the Knighthawks, the Rush have won three straight games. Mark Matthews leads the NLL with 58 assists and 82 points, while Robert Church is tied for second in points with 77. Church also leads the league with 34 goals, which is one better than teammate Ben McIntosh. Goalie Evan Kirk leads the NLL with 10 wins and is second with a 10.64 goals-against average.

Next Game: The Knighthawks will host their inaugural Cradle for the Cure game on Saturday, March 31, when they entertain the Colorado Mammoth at 7:30 p.m. at Connors & Ferris Field at The Blue Cross Arena. The Knighthawks will wear light blue jerseys, which will be auctioned off to benefit CURE Childhood Cancer Association. Fans can bid on the game-worn, signed jerseys at www.knighthawks.com/Auction. The auction, which will also feature over a dozen jerseys of past greats, will begin on Wednesday, March 28 at noon and end at 9:00 p.m. on the night of the game. Tickets are available at www.knighthawks.com or by calling (585) 454-4295.

Hall of Fame Night: The Knighthawks are inducting Mike Accursi into the team's Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 31, making him the 17th member of the prestigious club. The St. Catharines, Ontario native spent seven of his 17 seasons in Rochester, wearing the teal and purple from 2005-07 and 2011-14. Known as one of the top clutch players in franchise history, he helped Rochester win four of its five Champion's Cups. The forward still ranks fifth in assists (222) and points (364), and ninth in goals (142). In Knighthawks' playoff history, the three-time team alternate captain remains second in goals (28) and fifth in points (43).

Check out the Rochester Knighthawks Statistics




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Jake Withers of the Rochester Knighthawks and the Saskatchewan Rush faceoff
Jake Withers of the Rochester Knighthawks and the Saskatchewan Rush faceoff
   

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