Sports stats



NLL Rochester Knighthawks

McCready, Schiller and Accursi Named Captains

January 14, 2012 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


(Rochester, January 14)... Rochester Knighthawks Owner and General Manager Curt Styres announced today that the team has named Pat McCready the team captain for the 2012 National Lacrosse League season. The 17-year pro enters his first campaign as the team's leader and will be joined by alternate captains Chris Schiller and Mike Accursi.

"Pat is the ultimate team guy and will do whatever it takes for the guy beside him," said Head Coach Mike Hasen. "He leads by example; he is a real character guy.

"He has been my teammate and a guy I trust. I think the young guys we have can learn from him," added Hasen.

McCready enters the 2012 season after a career year in which he captured the NLL Defensive Player of the Year Award. The St. Catharines, Ontario, native reached career milestones by playing in his 200th professional game and recording his 1,400th loose ball. He led the team with 101 loose balls and notched 18 points in 15 games, which was second among league defensemen. Furthermore, he earned his second appearance in an NLL All-Star Game and received starting and alternate captain duties for the first time in his career. McCready also shared team Defensive Player of the Year honors with Sid Smith.

"It is a great honor. We have a team with a lot of captains. I am just representing the guys," said McCready, who is now in his seventh season with the Knighthawks. It is his first time as a team captain in the NLL.

McCready, 37, ranks in the league's Top 10 in four individual categories. He ranks third all-time in loose balls (1,499), second in penalty minutes (430) and ninth in games played (203). For his career, he has 366 points (136+230) and two NLL Championship rings: 1997 with Rochester and 2008 with Buffalo.

Schiller, 34, will begin his second season with an "A" on his sweater. The Penfield native starts his 11th season with the Knighthawks tonight. Schiller is fifth on the team in games played (130) and loose balls (695). The three-time winner of the team's Unsung Hero award (2002-03, 2006 and 2008) was a member of the 2007 NLL Championship team. In 2010 he was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Greater Rochester Chapter Hall of Fame.

Accursi, 36, enters his 15th season in the NLL and fifth with the Rochester Knighthawks. He starts his second season as one of the team's alternate captains. In his NLL career, he has 346 goals, 373 assists for 719 points in 204 games. The Pelham, Ontario, native is tied for eighth all-time in NLL history in goals. He has two Champion's Cups to his credit, winning in 2007 with Rochester and in 2008 with Buffalo.

The Rochester Knighthawks will open the season tonight as they battle the Philadelphia Wings at 7:00 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center. The game will be broadcast live on Sportsradio 950 ESPN and www.sportsradio950espn.com. To watch the game live, go online to NLL.com.

The Knighthawks' home opener is set for Saturday, January 21st against the Buffalo Bandits at 7:30 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. Knighthawks individual tickets are on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, and at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Check out the Rochester Knighthawks Statistics

• Discuss this story on the National Lacrosse League message board...

National Lacrosse League Stories from January 14, 2012


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