Rochester To Battle Rock Tonight
Published on February 10, 2006 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release
Game Notes: The Rochester Knighthawks battle the East Division rival Toronto Rock tonight at the Air Canada Centre. The 7:30 p.m. game will be televised live on Time Warner Cable Channel 98. The contest will also be carried on the B2 Networks. The game is the only regular season visit to Toronto by the Knighthawks this year.
Head-to-Head: The contest at Toronto is the second of three meetings between the two teams. Rochester has a 1-0 record against the Rock this season, beating Toronto 14-9 on January 14th. Rochester leads the all-time season series with an 11-7 record. The Knighthawks, however, are only 2-7 in Toronto.
Knighthawks Notes: The Knighthawks take their four-game winning streak into the weekend and currently lead the East Division with a 4-1 record. Rochester's John Grant is tied for third with 32 points (19+13) in five games. K-Hawks goalie Pat O'Toole leads the NLL with four wins and is second with an 8.90 goals-against average. Grant was named the league's Overall Player of the Month for January. Rookie Shawn Evans is tied for the league-lead with 28 penalty minutes. Ed Comeau was named the head coach for the East Division at the 2006 NLL All-Star Game in Toronto. Comeau is one win away from tying the best start for a first-year head coach in team history. Paul Day began his eight-year Rochester coaching career with a 5-1 mark in 1998.
Greer joins the Knighthawks: Rochester signed defenseman Bill Greer on Thursday, February 9th. Greer was added to the active roster to replace injured defenseman Pat Cougevan. Cougevan had surgery this week to repair a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg, which he suffered in the January 28th game against the Buffalo Bandits. Greer, 24, enters his fifth season in the National Lacrosse League. The Oshawa, Ontario, native has played in 57 career games and has recorded 21 goals, 41 assists and 415 loose balls, spending time in Columbus, Arizona and Anaheim.
Rock Notes: The Rock are in fifth place in the East Division with a 2-4 record, but have won two straight games. Toronto also has the top two point producers in the league, as Colin Doyle (14+26) and Josh Sanderson (12+28) are tied for first with 40 points in six games. Toronto has won five of the last seven NLL Championships.
A Chip off the Old Rock: The Rochester Knighthawks have eight players and two coaches that were once members of the Toronto Rock/Ontario Raiders. The players include Mike Accursi, Sandy Chapman, Brian Croswell, Carter Livingstone, Ken Millin, Ryan O'Connor, Steve Toll and Shawn Williams. The Rochester coaching staff features former Rock coach Ed Comeau and scout Sean Ferris. Comeau now serves as the Knighthawks head coach, while Ferris is an assistant coach.
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Next Game: On Saturday, February 11th, Rochester returns home to host the Arizona Sting at 7:35 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the B2 Networks. The Sting lead the West Division with a 3-1 record, but lost their last game 18-17 in overtime to the Colorado Mammoth on February 3rd. The game was the third OT game for Arizona this season and the first loss in the extra session. Arizona has a 2-0 all-time record against Rochester and defeated the Knighthawks 9-8 in overtime last season on January 15th.
Arizona forward Craig Conn was named the Overall and Offensive Player of the Week after tallying 11 points in the home loss to the Mammoth. He notched eight goals and added three assists in the game, as the team suffered its first loss of the season. Conn also collected five loose balls in the contest.
Casey Zaph fundraiser: The Rochester Knighthawks will hold "Legends of Lacrosse Night" on Saturday, March 18th to raise money for Casey Zaph. During the game against the Buffalo Bandits, the K-Hawks will hold a silent auction of merchandise from around the National Lacrosse League. Auction items already include an autographed John Tavares Bandits jersey, and team autographed jerseys from the Minnesota Swarm and the Rochester Rattlers.
Following the contest, the Knighthawks will hold a "Rally for Casey" at the Clarion Riverside Hotel. Tickets for the event are $10 and include finger foods, music and 10 raffle tickets for the Chinese auction. Additional raffle tickets are available at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the Knighthawks Office, at the next four home games and at the hotel on the night of the event.
Zaph played defense for the Knighthawks from 1999-2005 and was a fan favorite because of his spirit and hard-nosed effort every night. On June 7th, he was hospitalized after collapsing at his doctor's office, while experiencing headaches. The 30-year-old husband and father of two is recovering from bleeding on the brain and has begun physical therapy.
Lacrosse Radio Show: The Rochester Knighthawks' weekly lacrosse radio show, "Rip it Up," airs every Saturday at 1:00 p.m. on WHTK 1280-AM and WHTK.com. The Voice of the Knighthawks, Craig Rybczynski, hosts the show that features interviews with Head Coach Ed Comeau, K-Hawk and Rochester Rattlers players, national media members, and National Lacrosse League coaches and players. Tim Knab, Eric Driscoll and Dave Cieslinski serve as the co-hosts.
National Lacrosse League Stories from February 10, 2006
- Jax overpowered by Bandits 16-6 - Portland Lumberjax
- Swarm Edge Wings 11-10 - Philadelphia Wings
- Rock win OT thriller against rival Knighthawks at ACC - Toronto Rock
- Lacrosse coach, manager and fan to perform ceremonial faceoff at Ladies Night - Toronto Rock
- Rush Player to Serve Suspension - Edmonton Rush
- Bandits Announce Kids Night - Buffalo Bandits
- Rochester To Battle Rock Tonight - Rochester Knighthawks
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