What to Watch for vs. Rochester Knighthawks
Published on January 17, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Toronto Rock News Release
Rochester, NY - The Toronto Rock (2-2) are on the road for the second week in a row to face one of the early season NLL Cup favourites the Rochester Knighthawks later this evening at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY.
Fans can watch the game vs. Rochester at 8:00pm ET for FREE on NLL+. Alternatively, fans can stream the game through TSN's digital platform TSN+ via TSN.ca and the TSN App as well as ESPN+. To stream the game on TSN+ or ESPN+, a paid subscription is required.
Here's what to watch for in Saturday's matchup.
Do faceoffs matter? That's always a burning question and while the Rock didn't win a faceoff in a win over San Diego last weekend, Rock captain Challen Rogers may have summed it up better than most on this week's episode of Toronto Rock Total Access, "they are more important than not," was his summation of the impact of faceoffs. The Knighthawks have enlisted Nathan Kapp, Jacksonville University's all-time leader in faceoff wins, to handle their duties at the dot. He was 9-for-25 vs. Connor Farrell last week as the Knighthawks beat the Bandits in Rochester and was 50% the night before against Philadelphia and Nick Rowlett.
CJ Kirst scored a career-high five goals in the Rock's 12-7 over the San Diego Seals. An impressive number, but what was most impressive was the manner in which he scored. Inside, outside, lefty, righty he's proving he can do it all. Kirst leads the Rock in goals (12) and points (19) through four games. He's on pace for 54 goals this season which would break the NLL rookie goal record held by Paul Gait who scored 47 in 1991. It should be noted that Gait set the mark playing every game in a 10-game regular season.
Latrell Harris was injured early in the game vs. San Diego. On Wednesday the Rock placed him on the Injured Reserve List. The loss in the lineup is big, but it also provides an opportunity for others to step up and fill the void.
Rock HC Matt Sawyer is currently tied for 9th on the NLL all-time wins list. He's tied with Les Bartley and up until last night, Colorado HC Pat Coyle was also part of that tie. A Rock win tonight would move Sawyer past Bartley and into an 8th place tie with Coyle with 94 wins. There's sure to be some jockeying back and forth throughout the rest of this 2025-26 NLL season.
INJURY REPORT: TD Ierlan is on the PUP List. Zack Kearney is on the Season Ending Injured Reserve List. Latrell Harris is in the Injured Reserve List with an upper body injury.
Following tonight's game, the Rock will be home for five of the next six weeks including the next three weekends beginning with Kidz Night on Saturday, January 24 against the Georgia Swarm.
Fans can check out a brand new episode of Rock City Unplugged featuring behind the scenes access and interviews with Rock players and staff that gives you a peek behind the curtain.
A new episode of the Toronto Rock Total Access Podcast also dropped featuring guest Owen Hiltz. Join host Mike Hancock and co-host Challen Rogers each week.
For more information on Toronto Rock tickets, please contact a Toronto Rock account executive by phone at 905-426-4744, by email at tickets@torontorock.com or visit torontorock.com.
National Lacrosse League Stories from January 17, 2026
- Michael Sowers Had a Four-Goal Game in his Season Debut - Philadelphia Wings
- Rock Come Back To Win Second Straight - Toronto Rock
- Desert Dogs (3-3) Score WIN over Philadelphia Wings (1-4) at Lee's Family Forum - Las Vegas Desert Dogs
- Rush Down FireWolves, 15-10 - Saskatchewan Rush
- FireWolves' Comeback Falls Short in Loss to Rush - Oshawa FireWolves
- What to Watch for vs. Rochester Knighthawks - Toronto Rock
- Adam Charalambides Scores a Hat Trick in 11-9 Loss to San Diego Seals - Vancouver Warriors
- Teat Scores Five; Black Bears Prevail over Bandits - Ottawa Black Bears
- FireWolves Look to Keep Momentum Going on the Road in Saskatchewan - Oshawa FireWolves
- Warriors Fall, 11-9, to Seals in Wild Finish - Vancouver Warriors
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