NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks Looking for Weekend Sweep

April 7, 2013 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


The Rochester Knighthawks (6-6) travel north to Toronto for the second half of their back-to-back weekend with a 3:00 p.m. matchup against the Rock (9-5) at the Air Canada Centre.

Head-to-Head: Rochester has a 20-18 all-time regular season record against Toronto, including a 4-14 record on the road. In 2013, Rochester is 1-1 against the Rock, losing 11-7 on January 26th and winning 12-8 on March 30th, both games at The Blue Cross Arena.

Last Game: The Rochester Knighthawks defeated the Philadelphia Wings in the first game of their back-to-back weekend on Saturday, April 6th by a final of 14-7. Reigning NLL Defensive Player of the Week, goaltender Matt Vinc, made 45 saves on 52 shots, including a fourth-quarter shutout. Cody Jamieson (1+6), Dan Dawson (2+3) and Johnny Powless (3+1) led a balanced attack, which saw five different Knighthawks scored at least two goals. Rochester never trailed, taking the lead 1-0 on a Mike Accursi power-play goal 8:43 into the first, and led 8-4 at the half. Philadelphia cut the deficit to 10-7 with two unanswered goals to end the third, but the Knighthawks would outscore the Wings 4-0 in the final quarter. Brad Self began the fourth with an unassisted goal, then ended it with a shorthanded one. No Wing player had a multi-goal game and they were only 1-for-6 on the power play. With an assist on Cory Vitarelli's second-quarter goal with 57 seconds left, Jamieson earned his 200th career point.

No Mercy From Accursi: Veteran forward Mike Accursi continues to move up Rochester's all-time scoring list this season. With four points (2+2) in the victory over Philadelphia, he has surpassed Scott Evans for fifth on the franchise's all-time points list with 343.

National Audience: Rochester's 14-7 win over the Wings was the first NLL game televised on the CBS Sports Network in 2013. Transition player Jimmy Purves made ESPN with a behind-the-back goal with 1:29 remaining in the first quarter, which ranked 6th on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays.

Road Warriors: The Knighthawks will play their final four games on the road. After visiting Toronto on Sunday, April 7th, they will play another back-to-back weekend in Alberta with an April 13th contest in Calgary and an April 14th matchup in Edmonton. They will finish in Buffalo on April 20th.

Knighthawks Notes: The Rochester Knighthawks evened their record at .500 for the first time since February 9th, when they won their third consecutive game to pull to 3-3. The two consecutive wins marks the first time the Knighthawks have won back-to-back games since beating Philadelphia on February 8th and Buffalo on February 9th. The 15 goals allowed over the last two games is the lowest two-game total of the season. Goaltender Matt Vinc lowered his league-leading goals-against average to 9.73 after limiting Philadelphia to only seven on Saturday. His .813 save percentage ranks first among starting netminders as well. The league's top penalty-killing held Philadelphia to only one power-play goal on six chances. Last Saturday, March 30th, Rochester defeated Toronto 12-8. It was their first regular season victory over the Rock since January 30, 2010.

The following Knighthawks are close to surpassing career milestones:

- Cory Vitarelli is eight points away from 100.

Toronto Notes: Toronto finishes a home-and-home series against the Knighthawks aftering losing their last game 12-8 in Rochester on March 30th. At 9-5, the Rock have the most wins in the NLL and lead the East by two games over Rochester. The Rock have two of the NLL's top scorers. Garrett Billings is tied for first with 92 points and 64 assists. Colin Doyle is third with 82 points and 57 assists. Goaltender Nick Rose enters Sunday leading the league with 536 saves. Toronto's .785 team save percentage is second only to Rochester (.813). The Rock have the second best power play (55.7%) and penalty kill (60%). With a win, they would secure the first seed in the East Division.

Next Game: The Knighthawks go back-to-back next weekend in Alberta on Saturday, April 13th in Calgary at 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 14th in Edmonton at 4:00 p.m. Both games can be seen live on YouTube via The Lacrosse Network and heard live on Sportsradio 950 ESPN and on www.sportsradio950espn.com.

Check out the Rochester Knighthawks Statistics



National Lacrosse League Stories from April 7, 2013


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