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 Rochester Knighthawks

Rochester Knighthawks host Buffalo tonight

February 19, 2005 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


Game Notes: The Rochester Knighthawks host the Buffalo Bandits at 8:00 p.m. tonight at The Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial. The game is the first of two trips to the Flower City for the Bandits. The teams will meet three times this season. The contest will be broadcast on News Talk 950 WROC and knighthawks.net, and will also be televised on WB16.

Last night: Rochester Knighthawks forward John Grant had 11 points (9+2) last night to lead the Knighthawks to a 14-13 overtime win over the Philadelphia Wings at the Wachovia Center. Grant’s last goal was the game winner at 1:15 of the extra session. The tally set a single-game franchise record, breaking Paul Gait’s mark of eight, which has stood for the past eight seasons. The win moved the ‘Hawks (5-2) into sole possession of first place in the Eastern Division, a half game ahead of Buffalo and Toronto.

Head-to-Head: Last season, the Knighthawks and Bandits split the season series, as each team won two games at home. All four contests were decided by one goal, with one game going to overtime and another ending in double OT. The two teams also met in the 2004 playoffs. Buffalo won the first-round matchup, 13-9, to end a nine-game home winning streak by the Knighthawks against the Bandits. Rochester leads the all-time series with a 15-7 record.

It’s a birthday celebration: The Knighthawks will honor their mascot, Laxcalibur, as he celebrates his birthday with his mascot buddies. The first 10,000 fans will receive a Knighthawks book cover from Locker Room Sports and everyone will be treated to a mascot dodgeball game at halftime.

Knighthawks Notes: The game marks the first time Mike Accursi will play against his old team. Accursi spent the last five seasons with the Buffalo Bandits. In Bandits history, he ranked second in goals (146) and faceoffs won (288), and third in points (257), loose balls (441) and games played (77). Accursi is one of five Rochester players and one coaching staff member that once suited up for the Bandits. Mike Hasen, Casey Zaph, Shawn Williams, Pat O’Toole and Head Coach Paul Day are all former Bandits. Marshall Abrams made his return to the K-Hawks lineup on February 18th after missing 13 months with an ACL injury.

Bandits Notes: Bandits’ John Tavares was named the NLL Overall Player of the Week after posting two goals and nine assists in a 20-9 win over Anaheim on February 11th. Tavares needs only six points to reach 1,000 regular season career points. He would Gary Gait as only the second player to ever achieve the feat. Buffalo forward A.J. Shannon plays field lacrosse for the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse. Last summer, he had finished third on the Rattlers with 36 points (29+7) in 12 games. Bandits Assistant Coach Duane Jacobs played nine seasons with the Knighthawks and still ranks third in assists (185), and second in goals (169) and points (354). In the four-game series against Rochester last season, Tavares led Buffalo with 10 goals and eight assists.

Next Game: Rochester travels to play the Toronto Rock on Friday, February 25th at 7:30 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre. The contest is third and final regular season game between the two teams. Rochester is 2-0 against Toronto this season and has won six of its last seven games against the Rock. The game will be broadcast on News Talk 950 WROC and knighthawks.net.


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National Lacrosse League Stories from February 19, 2005


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