NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks Host Rock on Hall of Fame Night

March 28, 2013 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


The Rochester Knighthawks (4-6) host the Toronto Rock (8-4) at The Blue Cross Arena on Saturday, March 30th at 7:30 p.m. It will be the second of three meetings between the East Division rivals.

Head-to-Head: Rochester has a 19-18 all-time regular season record against Toronto, including a 15-4 record at home against the Rock. Toronto defeated Rochester 11-7 on January 26th.

Last Game: The Rochester Knighthawks were handed a 11-9 loss by the Edmonton Rush in a rematch of the 2012 National Lacrosse League Championship. The Rush jumped out to an early 5-1 lead after the first quarter. Rochester came back from a four-goal deficit at halftime to come within one, 8-7, with three unanswered goals to end the third quarter. The Rush responded with three of their own to start the fourth quarter, including two consecutive goals from Zack Greer. The Knighthawks only managed 33 shots on goal, which is only two shots away from the franchise record of 31 in a single game. Cody Jamieson scored a game-high seven points (2+5) while Dan Dawson added five (2+3) and Mike Accursi earned four (1+3). Goaltender Matt Vinc made 36 saves on 47 shots.

Hall of Fame Inductee: Former Rochester goaltender and current goalie coach Pat O'Toole will be inducted into the Knighthawks Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony prior to the contest against Toronto. O'Toole retired in 2010 as the NLL's all-time saves leader with 6,464. He leads the franchise in wins (102) and saves (5,756). O'Toole backstopped the Knighthawks to the 2007 Champion's Cup. He is the 11th member of the team's Hall of Fame and the first goalie to be elected. The 41-year-old husband and father of two is in his 15th season with the Knighthawks, including 12 as a player. O'Toole played 16 seasons in the NLL. He registered a 102-51 record, an 11.21 goals-against average and a .771 save percentage as a Knighthawk. He is a two-time All-Pro and was honored as the 2003 NLL Goaltender of the Year. He also scored three goals, a league record for goalies, and 136 assists.

Knighthawks Notes: The Rochester Knighthawks are now 1-5 at home this season with two games left at The Blue Cross Arena. The Knighthawks are averaging just over eight goals per game at home in comparison to approximately 15 goals per game on the road. The offense averages a league-low 47.4 shots per game, and nearly tied a franchise-record with only 33 shots on goal against Edmonton. The 10.90 goals per game is the second-fewest in the league, a mere 0.40 more than Philadelphia. The Knighthawks, who fell behind in the first quarter to the Rush in their last game, have not won a game when trailing after the first, second or third quarters. On the other hand, the defense has been steady all season, giving up an average of 10 goals per game both at home and on the road. Rochester still leads the NLL in team goals-against average (10.30) and save percentage (.803). Individually, Matt Vinc is second in the league with a .804 goals-against average and a 10.17 save percentage.

The following Knighthawks are close to surpassing career milestones:

- Cody Jamieson is 10 points away from 200;

- Mike Accursi is one point away from 800.

Toronto Notes: The Rock have won a division-best eight games and, with a 2.0-game lead in the East, have clinched a playoff spot. Toronto has two of the league's top five point scorers in Garrett Billings and Colin Doyle. Billings is second with 79 points (24+55) while Doyle is tied for fourth with 69 points (20+49). Goaltender Nick Rose leads all goalies with 474 saves. He is fourth in goals-against average (10.75) and third behind Tyler Richards and Matt Vinc in save percentage (.802). After two consecutive wins to start the month of March, the Rock lost to Edmonton 17-12 on March 24th. They never led against the Rush, trailing by at least four goals for the first three quarters. After starting out 0-15 against Rochester while on the road, the Rock have captured four straight over the Knighthawks at The Blue Cross Arena, including an 11-7 win on January 26th.

Next Game: The Rochester Knighthawks return home for Native American Night in a contest against the Philadelphia Wings on Saturday, April 6th at 6:00 p.m. It is the last home game of the season and can be seen on the CBS Sports Network (DirecTV channel 613, Dish Network channel 158, Time Warner Cable channels 232 & 1027). The game can also heard live on Sportsradio 950 ESPN and on www.sportsradio950espn.com .

Check out the Rochester Knighthawks Statistics



National Lacrosse League Stories from March 28, 2013


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