NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks and Bandits Ready for Round Three

Published on February 20, 2015 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


When the Rochester Knighthawks host the rival Buffalo Bandits Saturday night it will mark the third meeting in 22 days between the East Division rivals. Rochester will battle Buffalo at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 21st at Connors & Ferris Field at The Blue Cross Arena. With a victory Saturday, the Knighthawks can sweep the season series against the Bandits for the second straight year. The contest will be broadcast online on NLL LIVE in the US and on TSN.ca in Canada. The radio broadcast is available on 105.5 The Team and online on theteam.fm.

Before the game, fans can get autographs from NHL forward and former Knighthawks draft pick Matt Moulson, and former NHL Coach of the Year Ted Nolan. The autograph session is part of the pregame party, which includes live music from Open G and $2.00 drafts from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Rochester (4-3) enters the game against Buffalo in second place in the East Division. The Knighthawks have won four of their last five games, following back-to-back 15-10 wins last weekend against Buffalo and New England. Buffalo (4-4) sits in third place in the East Division after dropping two of its last three games.

"It was definitely a long weekend with two great games and two very tough physical battles," said Knighthawks Head Coach Mike Hasen. "We stuck with our principles and we managed to come away with two wins."

"We are getting back to our game plan and what works for us," said defenseman Paul Dawson. "Once we did that, we got a couple of wins. The confidence starts to build and then we get more comfortable in our game plan and in our abilities."

In the win at Buffalo on February 14th, Rochester used six unanswered goals to pick up its third win of the season. It was Rochester's second straight win over the Bandits this season and extended its winning streak over Buffalo to five games. Rochester was led by a career-best nine-assist effort from Cody Jamieson and eight points from Dan Dawson (2+6). The Knighthawks also received five-point outings from Craig Point (4+1) and Jordan Hall (3+2). Joe Walters scored the game winner in a three-goal, one-assist performance. In goal, Matt Vinc turned in a 45-save effort. The Knighthawks goaltender is currently second in saves (260), third in save percentage (.781) and fourth in goals-against average (10.85).

Defenseman Dylan Evans, who collected 29 faceoff wins and 10 loose balls last weekend, commented on the importance of winning in Buffalo.

"It was huge. In our eyes it was a must win game," he said. "We needed the win to bounce back to get to .500."

One of the major factors in the two-win weekend was Rochester's power play, which was 4-for-5 in Buffalo and 5-for-8 Sunday. The Knighthawks are now ranked first in the NLL with 17 goals in 29 chances (58.62).

Rochester also has two players in the Top 10 in assists and points. Dawson is second in the NLL in assists (29) and is tied for seventh in points (38), while Jamieson is tied for third in assists (28) and is sixth in points (41). Jamieson, who is third all-time in team history in assists and points, needs just three goals to pass Mike Accursi and Shawn Evans for sixth place on the Knighthawks all-time scoring list.

Joe Walters and Jordan Hall have also been major contributors to the team's recent success. Walters, who notched eight points last week, has 10 goals and eight assists in his last four games. Hall has also stepped up his offensive production, collecting seven goals and 10 assists in his last four games.

"'Hallsy' is getting his groove back and getting comfortable with the guys on the floor," said Hasen. "He's playing extremely well right now. If he's going, we're going."

Next weekend, Rochester will remain at home to take on the Calgary Roughnecks at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 28st. Prior to the game, the Knighthawks will induct Casey Zaph into the team's Hall of Fame. That night, the Knighthawks will also hold its annual Men's Health Night to benefit the Urology Associates of Rochester. The team will wear special blue and white jerseys and raffle them off to raise money for Zero - The Project to End Prostate Cancer and The Lipson Cancer Center at Rochester General. To order tickets, please call the Knighthawks at (585) 454-HAWK (4295).

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National Lacrosse League Stories from February 20, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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