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NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks Host Buffalo In East Division Finals Tonight

April 27, 2007 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


The Rochester Knighthawks host the Buffalo Bandits tonight in the East Division Finals at The Blue Cross Arena. The 8:05 p.m. game will be broadcast live on WYSL 1040-AM and wysl1040.com. The contest will also be televised live on Time Warner SportsNet Channel 26. The Knighthawks playoffs are sponsored by Time Warner Cable.

Head-to-Head: The two teams have met seven times in the playoffs with Rochester holding a 4-3 edge all-time. Friday night's matchup will be the fifth consecutive season in which the two clubs will meet in the playoffs. Last season, Buffalo beat Rochester 15-10 in the East Division Finals, before the Bandits lost 16-9 at home to Colorado in the Championship Game. Rochester defeated Buffalo 15-12 on April 12, 1997 at Marine Midland Arena to win its only championship.

Rochester is 19-11 in the regular season against Buffalo, which includes a 12-4 mark at home. This season, Rochester swept the season series with wins on April 13th and April 14th. Rochester has won its last 13 games to improve to 15-2 on the season. The Knighthawks have also won their last 12 straight at home, dating back to last season. The last Rochester loss on its home turf was a 14-13 overtime setback to Buffalo on March 18, 2006.

Promotion: The first 8,000 fans will receive thundersticks courtesy of the official sponsor of the Knighthawks Playoffs, Time Warner Cable.

Honoring JMJ: During the 2007 NLL Champion's Cup Playoffs, Rochester is honoring the memory of Pittsford lacrosse player Jeff Milano-Johnson by wearing a special sticker on their helmets with Jeff's initials and lacrosse number (23). The 14 year old died last week after collapsing during a lacrosse game at Spencerport.

Knighthawks Notes: Rochester defeated the Toronto Rock in the East Division Semifinals 10-6 on April 20th to advance to its second straight divisional finals. Shawn Williams led the way with two goals and five assists. The Knighthawks ended the 2007 campaign with a franchise record 12-straight wins and earned their second division title in team history. Rochester led the NLL in goals (249), power-play goals (67), shorthanded goals (23) and power-play percentage (58.77%) this season. Forward John Grant was one of the keys to Rochester's success this season. He had a banner year, capturing his first points title with 111, including winning the goal-scoring title with 51. In goal, Pat O'Toole notched a league best 13-1 record this season. Steve Toll was named the National Lacrosse League's Transition Player of the Week for Week 16. Toll registered one goal, four assists and 19 loose balls in two wins over Buffalo.

Buffalo Notes: The Bandits earned a spot in the divisional finals after knocking off the Minnesota Swarm in the East Division Semifinals on Sunday afternoon. Buffalo routed Minnesota by a 14-8 score behind a stellar performance from goalie Michael Thompson. Thompson allowed just seven goals and blanked the Swarm in the second half. John Tavares and Kevin Dostie both had three goals and two assists for the Bandits. During the regular season, Tavares finished fourth in the NLL with 103 points (42+61). Buffalo is bidding for its third trip to the finals in the past four seasons. The Bandits advanced to the title game in 2004 and 2006.

Next Game: The winner of today's East Division Finals will play the winner of the West Division Finals between the Arizona Sting and the San Jose Stealth in the National Lacrosse League's Champion's Cup Finals. The 2007 NLL Championship Game, presented by Edge Active Care, will air live on VERSUS across the U.S. on Saturday, May 12th at 4:00 p.m. Eastern/1:00 p.m. Pacific.

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