A trio of Rochester players are up for multiple honors.
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) announced its nominees for the 2017-18 Season Awards, and 11 members of the Rochester Knighthawks are in the running for the league’s top honors.
Three Knighthawks are up for multiple honors: Joe Resetarits, Matt Vinc, and Graeme Hossack. Resetarits, who is coming off the first 100-point season of his career, has been nominated for the NLL Sportsmanship Award and league MVP. Matt Vinc, who moved into second all-time in league history in saves, is up for his sixth NLL Goaltender of the Year award. He was also nominated for the league MVP award. Hossack, who is also an MVP candidate, is once again a nominee for Defensive Player of the Year honors after finishing tied for first in the NLL with 34 forced turnovers.
The Knighthawks have the most players in the NLL Rookie of the Year category with all three Ohio State products jockeying for the honor. Jake Withers, Austin Shanks, and Eric Fannell all had a huge impact this season. Withers led the league with 279 faceoff wins and a .670 faceoff winning percentage. Shanks finished second in points among rookies with 52, while Fannell was third with 37.
Brad Gillies and Scott Campbell were nominated for Transition Player of the Year, and Dan Lomas was selected by his fellow players as Rochester’s Teammate of the Year. After leading the Knighthawks to a 10-8 record and a return trip to the postseason, Mike Hasen is among the Coach of the Year candidates. Owner Curt Styres, who retooled his lacrosse staff and roster, is a nominee for General Manager of the Year.
Leading up to the announcement of award winners, NLL Productions will be looking back at the season that was and how these players, staff, and coaches made an impact on their respective teams. Following the completion of the voting period, Ashley Docking and Tyson Geick will announce the winners of the awards via NLL TV over the course of a week.