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NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Rochester Knighthawks Game Preview: Saturday, December 28, 2019 vs. Toronto Rock

December 28, 2019 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


The Rochester Knighthawks return to home base tonight in search of their first win as they host the North Division rival Toronto Rock in the first half of a home-and-home series at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:00 p.m. matchup will be the first of three meetings between the two teams this season and can be heard live on 107.3 FM The Bull as well as B/R Live.

LAST TIME OUT

The Knighthawks fell to 0-2 on the young season after seeing their comeback bid fall just short in a 14-12 loss to the Halifax Thunderbirds this past Saturday at Scotiabank Centre. Rochester held a one-goal advantage after the first 30 minutes of play, but a second-half surge by Halifax was enough to hand the Knighthawks their second straight loss. Facing a 13-9 deficit early in the fourth quarter, Rochester nearly closed the gap by scoring three of the game's final four goals to cut the deficit in half. Holden Cattoni paced the Knighthawks with a five-point night (2+3) while Shawn Evans (2+2) and Phil Caputo (1+3) each contributed four points. Curtis Knight, Dan Lintner and Cory Highfield each scored twice, and Steve Fryer made 30 saves in his Knighthawks debut.

THORIMBERT STANDS ALONE IN NLL HISTORY

The highlight of Saturday's setback to Halifax came in the third quarter when Knighthawks defenseman Jay Thorimbert recorded his eighth face-off win of the night to surpass Geoff Snider for first all-time in National Lacrosse League history. The 13-year veteran finished the matchup winning 11 of 29 face-offs and now stands alone in NLL history with 2,472 career face-off wins.

SCOUTING THE ROCK

Toronto comes into the matchup having split their first two games of the season, first dropping a 12-8 decision to the New England Black Wolves before rebounding with a 13-6 win over the San Diego Seals this past weekend. The Rock set the tone early, outscoring the Seals 4-0 in the opening quarter and going on a 5-0 run before Toronto goaltender Nick Rose gave up his first of only six goals on the night midway through the second. Dan Craig led the Rock with a team-high seven points (1+6) while Tom Schreiber (3+3) and Rob Hellyer (2+4) each contributed six points in the win. Dan Dawson, a former Knighthawk in the previous organization, also scored three times and added an assist in his return to San Diego, where he spent of all last season. Dawson, who played six seasons in Rochester with the original Knighthawks, paces all Toronto players with five goals through his first two games of the season and ranks fourth in shots on goal. Craig leads the team with seven assists while he and Schreiber are both tied for the team lead with nine points, good for ninth in scoring among the league's top point-getters. Rose currently ranks third among all NLL netminders with 91 saves and is tied for fourth in wins (1). He's also fifth and seventh with a .843 save percentage and a .850 goals-against average, respectively.

DAWSON FAMILY REUNION

It's a family reunion tonight in Rochester for the first time since the 2018 season for the Dawson brothers, but this time as opponents. The siblings have been somewhat of a packaged commodity over their combined 31 years in the NLL, having been teammates numerous times throughout careers, including six seasons in Rochester with the previous Knighthawks franchise from 2013 to 2018. The duo won back-to-back NLL titles in 2013 and 2014 during the organization's historic run of three straight league championships. Prior to playing alongside one another in Rochester, the Dawson brothers were also teammates in Boston (2009-10) and Philadelphia (2012) and were reunited against most recently last season as members of the San Diego Seals.

MILESTONE WATCH

Holden Cattoni needs 11 more points for 200 in his pro career.

Shawn Evans, who has five points (2+3) in two games this season, is 18 assists away from tying former teammate John Grant Jr. for fifth all-time in NLL history. The two-time NLL MVP is also eight points away for 1,200 career points and would become just the sixth player in league history to reach the mark.

Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen is 19 wins away from 100 career coaching wins.

UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTHAWKS

The same two teams clash again on Saturday, Jan. 11 as the home-and-home series shifts north of the border for a rematch at Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto. The 7:00 p.m. matchup will be carried live on 107.3 FM The Bull as well as B/R Live. Fans can stay up to date all season long with the latest Knighthawks news, stories and notes at www.rochesterknighthawks.com.

Check out the Rochester Knighthawks Statistics



National Lacrosse League Stories from December 28, 2019


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.

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