Sports stats



NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks Open Season at Home against Philadelphia

September 8, 2003 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Knighthawks open their historic 10th season of professional lacrosse against a longtime rival, the Philadelphia Wings. Rochester plays its National Lacrosse League home and season opener on Saturday, December 27th at 7:35 p.m. at the Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial.

The game is one of two during the opening weekend of the National Lacrosse League. The night before, Arizona hosts Vancouver in the season opener on Friday, December 26th.

The K-Hawks enter the 2003-04 season as one of four teams remaining in the East. Rochester will join the Philadelphia Wings, Buffalo Bandits and the two-time defending NLL champion Toronto Rock in the East Division. Rochester will play each divisional opponent four times – twice at home and twice on the road – with the rest of the schedule based on the previous season's record.

The remaining six teams will form the West Division. This season, the NLL has franchises in Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Phoenix, San Jose and Vancouver. Three of the franchises are relocated teams from last season. The New Jersey Storm moved to Anaheim; Albany relocated to San Jose; and Columbus headed to Phoenix.

Last season, the K-Hawks (12-4) won the Central Division and regular season title and advanced to the NLL Finals. But the road to the finals this season will be arduous for the Knighthawks, who are trying to make the playoffs for the 10th time in franchise history.

Rochester plays the nine games against teams that advanced to the NLL Playoffs (four against Buffalo, four against Toronto and one against Colorado). In addition, the Knighthawks' schedule includes 15 of 16 games against teams that had a record of .500 or better last year.

Rochester also added some new stops for its eight-game road schedule. The K-Hawks fly to Anaheim and Phoenix this season as part of a two-game Western road trip in March. The Knighthawks open trip with a 10:30 p.m. start at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim on Friday, March 5th and conclude the two-game stretch at the new Glendale Arena in Arizona on March 6th.

The K-Hawks conclude their season-high three-game road trip the following week in Toronto on Friday, March 12th at 7:30 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre.

After spending two weeks away from The Blue Cross Arena, Rochester returns home for its longest homestand of the season. The Knighthawks host the Colorado Mammoth on Saturday, March 13th and battle the Buffalo Bandits on Saturday, March 20th.

The divisional lineup for the 2003-04 NLL season:

East Division West Division Buffalo Bandits Anaheim Philadelphia Wings Calgary Roughnecks Rochester Knighthawks Colorado Mammoth Toronto Rock Phoenix San Jose Vancouver Ravens

NLL PLAYOFF FORMAT

The top three teams in each division shall earn playoff berths, with the division champions receiving byes. The second and third place finishers shall face each other in the opening round with the winners facing their respective division champions in the semi-final round. The semi-final winners (East vs. West) shall meet in the 2004 Champions' Cup Final. All playoff games are single-elimination. CHAMPION'S CUP PLAYOFFS
OPENING ROUND: (weekend of April 16th-18th)
West #3 vs. West #2
East #3 vs. East #2 SEMIFINALS: (weekend of April 23rd-25th)
West #2-West #3 Winner vs. West #1
East #2-East #3 Winner vs. East #1 CHAMPION'S CUP FINAL: (weekend of April 30th-May 2nd)
East Finalist vs. West Finalist 2003-04 Rochester Knighthawks Schedule

DAY DATE OPPONENT START TIME
Saturday December 27 vs. Philadelphia 7:35 p.m.
Saturday January 3 at Buffalo 7:30 p.m.
Saturday January 10 vs. Toronto 7:35 p.m.
Saturday January 17 at Philadelphia 8:00 p.m.
Saturday January 31 vs. Toronto 7:35 p.m.
Friday February 6 at Buffalo 7:30 p.m.
Saturday February 14 vs. San Jose 7:35 p.m.
Sunday February 22 NLL All-Star Game in Denver 6:00 p.m.
Saturday February 28 vs. Buffalo 7:35 p.m.
Friday March 5 at Anaheim 10:30 p.m.
Saturday March 6 at Arizona 9:30 p.m.
Friday March 12 at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Saturday March 13 vs. Colorado 7:35 p.m.
Saturday March 20 vs. Buffalo 7:35 p.m.
Saturday March 27 at Philadelphia 8:00 p.m.
Saturday April 3 vs. Philadelphia 7:35 p.m.
Friday April 9 at Toronto 7:30 p.m.

All times are Eastern Standard
**Home games are bold

Check out the Rochester Knighthawks Statistics



National Lacrosse League Stories from September 8, 2003


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.

OurSports Central