NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Rochester Battles New York Titans in East Division Semifinals

Published on April 27, 2009 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Knighthawks will battle the New York Titans on Friday, May 1st in the East Division Semifinals. The game is a 7:30 p.m. faceoff at Madison Square Garden. The game will be broadcast live on WYSL 1040-AM and wysl1040.com. Fans can also watch the game live online via the NLL Network at NLL.com and on knighthawks.net.

Head-to-Head: The playoff game is the fourth meeting of the season between the two teams. Rochester is 1-2 this season against the Titans, winning the last meeting 15-7 on February 21st at The Blue Cross Arena. The Titans won the only game at Madison Square Garden this year, 15-9 on February 15th. The loss dropped Rochester to 0-2 all-time time at the World's Most Famous Arena. Rochester is 3-4 all-time against the Titans.

How they got here: The Knighthawks advanced to the playoffs for the 14th time in 15 seasons on April 18th, when they defeated the Philadelphia Wings 11-8. The win secured the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division. Former Knighthawks Head Coach Ed Comeau led New York to its first East Division title with a 10-6 record. Comeau guided the Titans to wins in their last three games, which included a 12-10 win over the Minnesota Swarm on April 18th to win the East Division. Comeau served as the head coach of the Knighthawks during the team's 2007 NLL Championship season.

Knighthawks Notes: The Rochester Knighthawks finished under .500 for the first time in team history, but returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence. The Knighthawks last playoff run was in 2007 when they won the Champion's Cup. The 2008 season was ended with a regular-season loss to the New York Titans, 12-11, in the last game of the season. Shawn Williams led the team with 67 assists and 93 points. Williams was sixth in the NLL in points and fourth in assists. His 67 assists set a single-season record, breaking John Grant's old mark of 60 set in 2007. Forward Shawn Evans was second on the club with 79 points. Evans set career highs for assists (49) and points (79) and led the Knighthawks with 30 goals. Goalie Pat O'Toole finished the season with a 7-6 record and the sixth best goals-against average (10.74). Gary Gait is making his first trip to the playoffs since the 2005 season. In his last postseason game, he scored one goal and collected four assists in the Colorado Mammoth's 16-13 loss to the Arizona Sting on April 22, 2005. Gait has played in 22 playoff games and has 66 goals and 56 assists. He also won three NLL Championships (1991, 1994-95) as a player with the Philadelphia Wings. He coached the Colorado Mammoth to the 2006 NLL title.

New York Notes: The Titans have made the playoffs for the second straight season and for the second time in the three-year history of the team. New York advanced to the East Division Finals last year before losing to the eventual champion Buffalo Bandits, 19-12. Former Knighthawk Casey Powell led the Titans with 85 points (40+45) in 13 games. He finished eighth in the NLL in points. Stephen Peyser was second in the league with 239 faceoff wins and was tied for sixth with 137 loose balls. Goalie Matt Vinc ended the 2009 campaign tied for first with nine wins and carried an 11.33 goals-against average and a .779 save percentage. New York has won three straight games, which included a road win over Buffalo.

KNIGHTHAWKS NEWS AND NOTES:

Players of the Week: Pat O'Toole and Steve Toll were honored by the NLL for their efforts in the Knighthawks' win over the Philadelphia Wings on April 18th. O'Toole was named the Overall Player of the Week as he allowed just eight goals against the Wings. The Rochester goalie held Philadelphia to single goals in the first and third quarters. He also made 46 saves, including 13 in the fourth quarter. This season, O'Toole was named the team's Comeback Player of the Year and Team MVP. Toll was awarded the Transition Player of the Week award. Last Saturday, he also had a stellar game, scoring one goal and collecting 16 loose balls. With the performance, he set a team single-season record with 178 loose balls this year. Toll finished third in the NLL in that category. He also added four goals and 13 assists in 16 games.

Road Woes: Rochester was 1-7 on the road this season, earning its only win on April 3rd in Colorado. The Knighthawks have lost its last three road contests.

What time is it?: Pat O'Toole finished the season with 475 saves to move within 264 saves of breaking Dallas Eliuk's league saves record (6,356). O'Toole now has 6,093 saves in 15 seasons.

Laverty New Penalty Minutes King: Defenseman Kyle Laverty recorded 83 penalty minutes this season, smashing Scott Ditzell's team single-season record of 68 set in 2007. He also became the league's all-time penalty minutes leader with 487.

Check out the Rochester Knighthawks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



National Lacrosse League Stories from April 27, 2009


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