Milestone Night in Rochester as Warriors Rout Knighthawks 16-6
NLL Vancouver Warriors

Milestone Night in Rochester as Warriors Rout Knighthawks 16-6

Published on February 1, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Vancouver Warriors News Release


It was a milestone night for the Vancouver Warriors at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, as three players reached significant career achievements in a dominant 16-6 win over the Knighthawks.

In the first game of their back-to-back series, forwards Jesse King and Keegan Bal each surpassed 600 career points, while Adam Charalambides recorded his 200th career assist.

Head Coach and GM Curt Malawsky praised the collective effort, proud of the contributions his players made throughout the game and the way they pour into the team on and off the floor.

"You talk about the intangibles and that's the value of having those guys in the dressing room, and their compete level and their willingness to get to the middle of the floor. They [Rochester] have a very physical, tough, grizzled defence that doesn't let you get there, and you have to pay the price if you want to get to the middle. And our guys just kept on coming all night and taking it," Malawsky said.

King entered the contest with 598 career points and reached the 600 mark in the first quarter with an assist before adding a power play goal, capitalizing on the five-minute major taken by Rochester goaltender Rylan Hartley, that also led to Hartley's ejection. The 33-year-old finished the evening with five goals and three assists in a commanding performance.

Malawsky addressed Hartley's hit postgame:

"I'm being totally truthful, there's no room for that in our game," Malawsky said. "I'm glad Charbs is okay and he was able to bounce back and play, because he's very fortunate. The goalie leaves his feet and makes a blindside hit, it was as ugly as it gets. So, it's disappointing, but I'm glad our guys rallied around him."

Bal began the night with 593 points, hitting 600 on an assist to Curtis Dickson in the second quarter. Bal finished the game with 13 points (2G, 11A), continuing to drive Vancouver's offence with poise and pace.

Charalambides reached 200 career assists in the third quarter, on Bal's second goal of the night. Bides tallied two goals and three assists against Rochester.

Dickson added four goals and four assists, Marcus Klarich chipped in two goals and three assists, and defenceman Owen Grant recorded a goal and an assist.

Goaltender Christian Del Bianco stopped 44 of 50 shots he faced.

Going into the game, the Knighthawks had the highest goals-for average (13.50) in the NLL, and the Warriors held the fewest goals-against average (9). Vancouver held Rochester scoreless in the third quarter while going on a seven-goal run of their own, stretching the lead to 15-4 to start the fourth quarter. Their stingy defence is part of the Warriors' identity, allowing them to chip away at the game and build a substantial lead.

"It starts with Christian, and then everybody around him. Our guys kept them to the outside, got in shooting lanes, and anytime that they got good looks at the net, Christian was there to stop the ball," Malawsky said.

"We talked about tonight being a playoff mentality, being on the road. We played them last year in our home rink, and I think home-floor advantage with our great fans made the difference in that game, but now we're on the road with just a couple family and friends. I was really happy to see how the guy stepped up and rose to the occasion."

The Warriors look to carry the momentum from the win into this week, both teams will make adjustments, and Malawsky says they're going to focusing on the first five minutes of the next game.

"Anytime you get these series when one team comes out with a lopsided win, the second game is always a doozy, so I expect nothing different. They'll be prepared, but we will too."

Vancouver returns to Rogers Arena for their second game of the home-and-home series against the Knighthawks on February 7th at 7 p.m. PT.

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