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Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks to Induct Hasen and Hollenbeck into Hall of Fame

February 9, 2011 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


(Rochester, February 9)... Two of the hardest working Rochester Knighthawks will appropriately go into the team's Hall of Fame on Saturday, February 19 th. Defenseman Mike Hasen and forward Jeremy Hollenbeck will be honored in a pregame ceremony prior to the Knighthawks-Toronto Rock game at The Blue Cross Arena.

The duo played together in Rochester for six seasons (1999 to 2004) and led the Knighthawks to three NLL Championship Game appearances. They were the backbone of some of the greatest teams in franchise history, according to Paul Day, who coached Hasen and Hollenbeck. The two men join Day, Jody Gage, Paul Gait, Randy Mearns, Duane Jacobs and Tim Soudan in the Knighthawks Hall of Fame.

"It is very humbling to just be mentioned with the other players who have been inducted," said Hollenbeck, who played for a decade in Rochester. "Never in a million years did I think I would be put in a hall of fame, let alone play professional lacrosse."

"I am very excited to be included with the company that is there," said Hasen. "It is a great honor to be included in what they accomplished. It ends one chapter of my career and the other one is still going to help us get back to where we were as players."

Hasen goes into the Hall of Fame as its seventh member. Hasen, 38, is in his 12th season with the Knighthawks and is in his first as the team's head coach. He spent the past 11 seasons with the Knighthawks, nine as a player and the past two as an assistant coach under Paul Gait from 2009 to 2010.

Hasen had an extensive career as a player, which spanned 13 seasons, nine of those with the Knighthawks. He played in Rochester from 1999 to 2007, ending his career after the team won the '07 Champion's Cup. He served as the team captain for the 2002-03, 2003-04, 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons. In his career, he played in 150 games and recorded 23 goals, 82 assists and 704 loose balls. He was also named the team MVP in 2003-04 and was a two-time winner of the team's Unsung Hero Award (2000-01 to 2001-02) and a three-time recipient of the Knighthawks' Best Defenseman honor. Recently, he was named the best Defensive Defenseman in the league's 25-year history per fan voting on ilindoor.com.

The Brampton, Ontario, native was named to the Canadian All-Star team for the inaugural NLL All-Star Game in 1999. Prior to arriving in Rochester, he played with the Buffalo Bandits from 1996 to 1999. He tallied 45 points (10+35) in four seasons with Buffalo and was honored the Bandits' top defensive player in 1997. He was also selected the Unsung Hero of Buffalo's 1996 MILL championship team. Hasen was acquired in 1999 from Buffalo for Cam Bomberry and a third-round selection in the 2000 NLL Entry Draft.

"One of our best trades and was a steady influence on and off the floor. He was a player that played hard, played well and led by example," said Day. "He was a player that made everyone better in the defensive end, and took care of the ball in transition. He was a natural leader that has progressed to head coach. A guy you always knew would coach this team, a player we leaned on heavily over the years."

Hollenbeck was an original member of the Knighthawks when the team was launched in 1995. He quickly became a fan favorite through his work ethic and tenacity. The 38-year-old forward from Elmira, NY, enters the Hall of Fame as its eighth member.

Hollenbeck arrived in Rochester after playing his college lacrosse at Nazareth College, where he was a two-time All-American. He spent four seasons with the Golden Flyers (1991-94) and was a member of the 1992 national championship team. The forward was instrumental in the Knighthawks' early success as the team advanced to the Finals in two of the first three seasons, winning the 1997 title against Buffalo.

"To play at that level and with the players I played with was amazing. To be surrounded by that caliber of players made me look like a better player," said the very modest Hollenbeck.

Hollenbeck called Rochester home for 10 seasons, retiring after the 2003-04 season.

In his career, the former fourth-round pick registered 64 goals, 118 assists and 486 loose balls in 111 games. He still ranks eighth in games played and 10th in loose balls. In the postseason, he was better than a point per game performer and scooped up 63 loose balls in just 16 games. In 1999, he was named the Knighthawks' Unsung Hero. The Knighthawks advanced to five NLL Finals during his 10 seasons.

"One of the first transition players that was effective at both ends. A lot of transition players are guys that only play one end well. Holly was committed at both ends of the floor to do whatever it took to have the team succeed," said Day. "He was a player we could use in every situation and he could have played five more years if he wanted to."

On February 19th, the Knighthawks will induct their new members into their Hall of Fame. The game is a 7:35 p.m. start against the Toronto Rock. The first 5,000 fans can pick up a Knighthawks Wall Decal. On the turf after the game, fans can get autographs from the players and both Hall of Fame inductees.

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