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NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks Enter Bye Week Tied for First Place

March 18, 2014 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


The Rochester Knighthawks completed a weekend sweep after defeating the Toronto Rock and the Philadelphia Wings in back-to-back games to move into a tie for first place in the East Division. Rochester improved to 9-3 with the pair of wins to pull even with the Buffalo Bandits (8-2).

"It feels great, especially with a bye week," said Knighthawks Goalie Matt Vinc. "We had two tough road games and to get two wins made our flight back a lot easier."

The Knighthawks began the two-game weekend in Toronto on Saturday. Rochester stormed back from a 9-5 halftime deficit at the Air Canada Centre to secure a 17-12 victory over the Rock. The Knighthawks outscored the Rock 12-3 in the second half to get the win and sweep their three-game series against Toronto this season.

Cody Jamieson scored the first four goals of the third quarter to finish the night with four goals and seven assists for a career-high 11 points.

"Coach (Mike Hasen) set us up for success. We just stuck to the game plan," said Jamieson after the win in Toronto. "We just kept executing and ran with the momentum."

Dan Dawson was another player who reached an important milestone in his career on Saturday at the ACC. Dawson had an eight-point (1+7) night against the Rock and in the first half, the 13-year National Lacrosse League pro notched his 1,000th career point. The point came on an assist to a goal scored by Cory Vitarelli. Stephen Keogh scored a career-high five assists as part of a seven-point (2+5) night. Johnny Powless also had two goals and three assists. Another milestone was reached as Scott Self played in his 200th pro game.

Angus Goodleaf, who entered the game in the second quarter, was a force in net for the Knighthawks. Goodleaf earned the second win of his NLL career after stopping 27 of 31 shots and holding the Rock scoreless for over 16 minutes.

After a come-from-behind win in Toronto, the Knighthawks went straight from the ACC to the airport to board a plane to Philadelphia to take on the Wings on Sunday. The Knighthawks opened the game in dominating fashion, taking a 4-0 lead early in the first quarter, and didn't give up the lead for the rest of the game in an 11-7 win.

Craig Point returned to the lineup for the Knighthawks and did so in impressive fashion, notching four goals and one assist. His four goals were a season best, as he scored three times on his first four shots on Sunday.

"Getting right into the flow of the offense and scoring some goals felt great," said Point. "It gave me some confidence and I took the shots when I had them."

After putting up 11 points the night before, Jamieson recorded one goal and five assists versus the Wings to give him 17 points (5+12) in the two games this past weekend. He now ranks second in the National Lacrosse League with 71.

Dawson also had an outstanding weekend, chipping in three goals and two assists against Philadelphia to give him four goals and nine assists in two days. His 13 points moved him into fifth on the NLL points list.

In goal, Vinc had a stellar performance, stopping 41 shots to earn his eighth win of the season. The three-time NLL Goalie of the Year said he was motivated by Goodleaf's effort the previous night.

"You watch Angus go in there and play well. You just want to help the team like he did Saturday," said Vinc. "The defense played well in front of me and made my job a lot easier."

The Knighthawks return home on Saturday, March 29th after a Week 13 bye to take on the Edmonton Rush. Game time is 7:30 p.m. and tickets are currently available by calling (585) 454-4295.

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