NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks Take Two-Game Winning Streak to Twin Cities

Published on February 5, 2015 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


This week, the Rochester Knighthawks will travel to St. Paul, Minn. for a rare Friday night game. The Knighthawks will battle the Minnesota Swarm at 8:30 p.m. live on www.universalsports.com . The radio broadcast is available on 105.5 The Team and online on theteam.fm.

"It's an East Division opponent and it's going to be a tough one. We want to be on the right side of .500 after the weekend," said Knighthawks Head Coach Mike Hasen. "We are in for another battle and I am looking forward to it."

Rochester (2-2) enters the contest tied for second place in the East Division after winning two straight games. The contest against Minnesota (2-2) is the fifth of eight straight divisional games to start the 2015 season. Last Saturday, Rochester defeated Buffalo by using a 7-0 fourth quarter run to down the Bandits 17-11.

"It was a good game and a game of runs," said Hasen. "We were really good in the first half. Offensively, we were moving the ball and defensively we were making easy shots for 'Vno' (Matt Vinc) to pick up. Then they went on their run in the third and we jumped back on our run in the fourth and finished it off."

The Knighthawks used a balanced offensive attack in the home win. Dan Dawson led the way with a career-high 11 assists, while Cody Jamieson notched season highs in goals (4) and points (8). Joe Walters recorded career bests in goals (5) and points (7). He also picked up his 100th career assist in the second quarter. Cory Vitarelli remained hot as he posted his fourth straight multiple-goal game of the season, netting two late tallies. Jordan Hall (3+2) and Craig Point (2+3) also chipped in five-point efforts. In goal, Angus Goodleaf was stellar, stopping 11 of the 12 shots he faced in the fourth quarter.

On Tuesday, Rochester added some more firepower to the offense by activating forward Stephen Keogh. The Toronto, Ontario native enters the season after recording career highs in goals, assists and points in 2014. He has won three championships in his three seasons as a pro. Keogh was the second overall pick in 2011 out of Syracuse University, where he won two national championships.

"We are excited to get Stephen back in the lineup," said forward Joe Walters. "You can't replace what he brings."

The game Friday against the Swarm is the first of three against Minnesota. Rochester leads the all-time series with a 13-5 record after sweeping the three-game season-series in 2014. The home game is the first in over a month for Minnesota. With that in mind, transition man Brad Self stressed the importance of getting out to a fast start.

"We have to be sharp right from the start of the game because we know they will have a lot of energy in their home barn," said Self.

Notes:

Moving on Up: With four goals and three assists last game, Cody Jamieson moved up the team's all-time lists in several offensive categories. He passed Duane Jacobs for fifth on the all-time points list (358) and moved into a tie for third place with Mike Accursi on the all-time assist list (222). He also jumped over Curt Malawsky for eighth in goals (136).

Road Warriors: The Knighthawks will hit the road for three games in 10 days. The longest road stretch of the season begins in Minnesota on Friday, February 6th at 8:30 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center. Next weekend, Rochester plays Buffalo on Saturday, February 14th and then travels to New England to take on the Black Wolves Sunday.

Next Home Game: Rochester returns home on Saturday, February 21st to take on the Bandits. Fans can purchase single-game tickets for all remaining home games at all Ticketmaster outlets and online at ticketmaster.com. For more information, call the Knighthawks Office at (585) 454-HAWK (4295).

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