NLL Rochester Knighthawks

The Boys Are Back in Town

Published on December 26, 2013 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


Three days before opening night, three Rochester Knighthawks players were already hard at work in the community. Joe Walters, Brad Self and Matt Vinc spent their morning with 70 youngsters at the Knighthawks Boys Winter Lacrosse Clinic at the Brighton Sports Zone.

"A lot of these kids have goals of playing with the Knighthawks. It's fun for us to come back and show them we were in their shoes one day," said Rochester native Joe Walters. "We were striving to be Knighthawks and play in this league, and play in college. It's cool for them to see that. It shows them that hard work pays off. That's always our goal. Whatever you put into it is what you going get out of it. We are trying to echo that both days."

"It's a good opportunity to have interaction with the kids," added Self. "It's gives me a chance - not living in Rochester year round - to work with the kids and see the growth of lacrosse in the Rochester area."

The kids, ranging in ages from 7 to 14, represented local youth lacrosse teams in Brighton, Fairport, Greece, Pittsford, Penfield, Canandaigua, Spencerport and Hilton. Instructors included legendary Nazareth Head Lacrosse Coach Rob Randall and Pittsford Varsity Lacrosse Coach Andrew Whipple. The camp concludes Friday at the facility located at 3196 Brighton Henrietta Town Line Road.

As part of the Knighthawks Winter Lacrosse Clinic, each kid received a free Knighthawks ticket for the home opener on Saturday, December 28th against the Minnesota Swarm. The Knighthawks will open their historic 20th season at 7:30 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena.

Vinc, who became the only three-time winner of the NLL Goaltender of the Year Award in 2013, was so eager to get into town that he drove Christmas Night from St. Catharines, Ontario to Rochester, NY to work the winter clinic.

"We want to get the Knighthawks in Rochester as soon as possible," he said. "We are eager to start the season. Basically what it comes down to is this is a great place to play. Obviously, we have great fans. Any time you can come out to a camp, it means that much more, especially when you know they're going to be backing us Saturday night."

Being on the turf today had Walters, who scored the game-winner in the 2013 NLL Championship Game, even more excited about Saturday's opener.

"A lot of these kids are asking questions about the game and we're getting fired up," he said. "It's been a long preseason with three preseason games, and to finally have the real thing here right after Christmas has everyone pumped to get going."

"It doesn't matter how old you are and how many years you have played, you can't wait for opening night," said Self, who enters his eighth season in the NLL in 2014. "On top of that, you get to raise the banner. It's even that much more exciting to raise them in back-to-back years."

On Saturday, the Knighthawks will begin their quest to become the first team in NLL history to win three straight Champion's Cups. Prior to the game, the Knighthawks will raise their 2013 NLL Championship banner.

"You just mention championship banner and I get goose bumps. It's a special night. We had that get-together Sunday and used that as our day to celebrate," said Vinc, referring to the organization's Christmas Party and Ring Ceremony. "Saturday signifies the start of a new challenge and a new chapter for the Knighthawks, and hopefully another Cup run. Every team's goal is to win a Champion's Cup in 2014. We are no different. We just want to maintain our spot on top and it starts with hard work on Saturday."

Check out the Rochester Knighthawks Statistics

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



National Lacrosse League Stories from December 26, 2013


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