Matthews Gets His Chance
Published on January 27, 2015 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release
All it took was one game for Joel Matthews to make a name for himself with the Rochester Knighthawks. After being activated prior to Saturday's matchup, Matthews showcased his strength and scoring ability in the 8-6 victory over the Toronto Rock.
"It feels great," Matthews said. "Last year, I only got in two games and the two games were against Rochester. It was a little weird coming and playing for the other side, but it was awesome. All the guys have welcomed me with open arms. (There's) great team camaraderie."
Matthews is playing in his second National Lacrosse League season and he has played in three games, putting up four points (3+1) and collecting six loose balls.
The former fourth-round 2012 draft pick played the 2014 season with the Buffalo Bandits, appearing in two games, coincidentally both against Rochester. But, on Saturday night, the 23-year-old righty was playing with the Knighthawks rather than against them. He fit right in with his new team.
"It's really easy to transition into your role when you've got guys being really positive and backing you up," Matthews said. "The crowd was amazing. Just all those things make it easier to feel comfortable to do your job. That's all I was trying to do all night was just do my job and do what the coaches asked me to do."
After a two-point effort (1+1), the coaching staff was satisfied with the physical play that he provided to help the Knighthawks get the victory. After taking a feed from Joe Walters, Matthews did a spin move around two Toronto defenders to bounce the ball to the back of the net and give the Knighthawks a 4-2 lead.
"It was big for us," Hasen said. "He's doing a lot of the inside work, a lot of the dirty work. He's creating space for our righties, Dawson and (Craig Point) there. We know when he gets the ball on his stick and he has an opportunity, he's going to bury it. It was good to see."
With the help of Matthews, not only did the defending champions earn their first win of the 2015 season, they also served Toronto its first loss.
To cap off an already extremely successful night, the media selected Matthews as the third star of the game.
"Anytime you can contribute, it's big. It makes it a lot easier when you've got guys like Cody Jamieson and Dawson and all these amazing players to get you open and to help you out," he said. "That's basically it, the rest is easy. Once those guys do all the work for you, you've just got to put it in the net. I got my opportunity tonight and I had to make the most of it."
The Knighthawks will be back at home on Saturday, January 31st as they take on their thruway rivals, the Buffalo Bandits. Tickets are available by calling the Knighthawks office at (585) 454-4295 or at any Ticketmaster outlet.
National Lacrosse League Stories from January 27, 2015
- Matthews Gets His Chance - Rochester Knighthawks
- Mind over Matter - Edmonton Rush
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.
