Sports stats



NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks Win and They're In

April 27, 2018 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


The Buffalo Bandits and Jake Withers of the Rochester Knighthawks battle for possession
The Buffalo Bandits and Jake Withers of the Rochester Knighthawks battle for possession
(Rochester Knighthawks)

Only one other time in the 24-year history of the I-90 rivalry has a regular-season finale had so much at stake for both the Rochester Knighthawks and the Buffalo Bandits.

Heading into Saturday's game at KeyBank Center, both teams need a win to remain alive in the East Division playoff race. Rochester (9-8) enters the contest tied for second in the division, while Buffalo (8-9) is tied for fourth.

"Every game, every shift, every loose ball and every movement a guy makes matters," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen.

With a win, the Knighthawks will wrap up a playoff berth and second place in the East Division. But Buffalo's playoff fate is more complicated. Not only do they need to win, but they need Toronto or New England to lose.

Against Buffalo, Rochester leads the season series with a 2-1 mark and has a 38-27 edge in the all-time series. Despite playing 65 times, only twice has the season come down to a head-to-head matchup between the two teams. The first time was during the 2013 season when Rochester traveled to Buffalo in a winner-take-all game. The Knighthawks downed the Bandits 10-9 and went on to capture their second straight Champion's Cup.

Five years later, the stakes are just as high. With a win this weekend, Rochester will lock up its first playoff berth since the 2015 season. Faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Broadcast Information: Saturday's game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1280 and the iHeartRadio app. Fans can also watch on NLL TV (NLLTV.com).

Scouting the Knighthawks: Rochester remains one of the hottest team in the NLL, having won seven of its last nine games. The Knighthawks are trying to win the season series against Buffalo for the second straight season. In 2017, Rochester went 2-1 against the Bandits. In Saturday's decisive game, the Knighthawks will rely on the league's second-best power play. This season, Rochester has converted 61.90 percent of its chances. Joe Reseatrits has scored a team-leading 11 power-play tallies, which are tied for sixth in the league. The Hamburg, NY native also leads the Knighthawks with career highs in goals (35) and points (94). Resetarits, who is riding a team-high 13-game goal-scoring streak, is fourth in the league in assists (59) and points. Cody Jamieson leads the Knighthawks with 61 assists, which ranks third in the NLL.

The Faceoff Wizard: Defenseman Jake Withers leads the NLL with 259 faceoff wins and a .671 faceoff winning percentage. He is on pace to become the first rookie in league history to have the best faceoff percentage (minimum of 200 faceoffs won) since Geoff Snider in 2007.

Vinc chasing Cosmo: After his 39-save effort against the Black Wolves, Matt Vinc is now 150 saves away from passing Anthony Cosmo for first all-time in NLL history. This season, the five-time NLL Goalie of the Year ranks third in the league in save percentage (.782), fourth in saves (606), and fifth in goals-against average (11.26).

Resetarits Ties U.S. Record: Joe Resetarits needs one point to break Tom Schreiber's record for points in a season by a U.S.-born player. On April 21, he tied the 94-point mark with a two-point effort versus New England.

Rookies on 40-40 Pace: Austin Shanks (48) and Eric Fannell (35) are currently second and third in points among rookies. If Eric Fannell collects five points Saturday, he and Shanks will become just the second rookie duo since the 18-game expansion in 2014 to reach 40-plus points. The 2016 Georgia Swarm had three players reach that plateau.

Milestone Watch:

- Head coach Mike Hasen is one win away from tying Paul Day for the most victories in franchise history with 75.

-   Cory Vitarelli (168) needs two goals to pass Duane Jacobs for fourth on the team's all-time goal-scoring list.

-   Paul Dawson is two loose balls away from 600 in his career.

- The Knighthawks are shooting for their 20th playoff berth.

Scouting the Bandits: Buffalo is currently tied with the Toronto Rock for fourth place in the East Division. Last Saturday, the Bandits suffered a 16-11 defeat to the Rock to extend their losing streak to two games. Dhane Smith led the way with five points (1+4) to reach the 100-point plateau for the third time in his career. He is third in the NLL in points this season and second in assists (65). Buffalo is attempting to advance to the postseason for the first time since the 2016 campaign.

NLL Playoffs: The 2018 NLL Playoffs start the weekend of May 4-6. Six teams, the top three clubs in each division, qualify for the postseason. The Division Semifinals and Finals are both single-elimination contests. For the fourth-straight year, the Finals will be played as a best-of-three series with the higher-seeded team hosting Game 1 and Game 3 (if necessary).

Rochester Playoff Scenarios:

Clinches a playoff berth with two Georgia losses vs. Vancouver and New England

Clinches a playoff berth and 2nd place in the East Division with

- A win vs. Buffalo

- OR Two Georgia losses vs. Vancouver and New England AND a Colorado win vs. Toronto

Clinches a playoff berth and the East Division title with a win vs. Buffalo AND a Vancouver win vs. Georgia AND a Georgia win vs. New England

Eliminated with a loss vs. Buffalo AND one Georgia win vs. either Vancouver or New England

Check out the Rochester Knighthawks Statistics




Images from this story

The Buffalo Bandits and Jake Withers of the Rochester Knighthawks battle for possession
The Buffalo Bandits and Jake Withers of the Rochester Knighthawks battle for possession
   



National Lacrosse League Stories from April 27, 2018


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