By Mitchell Courtney / Rochester Knighthawks
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — In 1995, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League expanded to one of the country’s lacrosse hot spots, Rochester, N.Y. With its proximity to the game’s origins in Canada and its success in the United States, the league took a chance on the city of Rochester.
The Rochester Knighthawks franchise was born, and the 1995 season seemed like a dream come true for so many. Many fans and players got their first taste of professional box lacrosse, and the city never looked back. Last Saturday, the Knighthawks honored the members of that 1995 team, who came up just short of completing a miracle expansion season.
Head coach at the time, Barry Powless, reminisced and explained how the recruiting process went as the league attempted to assemble the Knighthawks.
“We had open tryouts, and everybody showed up,” Powless said with a chuckle. “It was really crazy.”
Powless explained that some transfers from the then defunct Detroit Turbos of the MILL transformed Rochester into title contenders in just their first season of action.
“We had six players that we got from the Detroit Turbos; Steve Dietrich, Brian Lemon, Peter Parke, Chris Driscoll, Duane Jacobs, and Tom Emmick,” he said. “Those guys solidified our team at the time, and just before the season started, the league had informed me that Paul Gait was going to be coming to Rochester. That made us legitimate contenders.”
Although the talent level was apparent, the new Rochester head coach was at first concerned about his team’s chemistry.
“I knew it was going to be an uphill battle because we had all of these new players that hadn’t played with each other before,” said Powless, “but the guys got along well, and we were able to get through our growing pains.”
Peter Parke, one of the six players who moved from Detroit to Rochester, immediately enjoyed the group that the Knighthawks were putting together at the time. Although there were quite a few new faces, Parke was optimistic about the team’s chances.
“I think there was a good mix of guys from all different backgrounds,” said Parke. “There was a lot of excitement in the city for this team, and the crowds reflected that.”
Brian Lemon, who also came over from the Detroit Turbos, shared his thoughts on the Knighthawks’ first year and about how lucky he felt to be a part of it all.
“At that time the league was very young and still growing,” said Lemon. “I was one of the fortunate ones who went from Detroit to Rochester. The fans were tremendous back then, just as they are now. We all loved playing in front of the people here.”
Lemon scored the first goal in Knighthawks history against New York, and he still holds the memory of that moment near and dear to his heart.
“It is a great memory amongst all of the other great memories I have from being with that team,” Lemon said. “That year was so special.”
One of the key members of the 1995 team who was not a holdover from another MILL team was Mike Benedict. Benedict had to come to Rochester to try out as part of the group that former head coach Barry Powless described as ‘crazy.’
“I finished up with the summer box league in Canada in 1994, and we had all heard about this rumor that Rochester may be getting a franchise in the MILL,” said Benedict. “Barry Powless gave me a phone call and asked me to come down and try out.”
After making the trip down to Rochester with his cousin Owen and Hobart star Anthony Gray, Benedict and Gray were selected to the team. Following his unusual path to professional box lacrosse, Benedict noted that his first game in Rochester was remarkable.
“It was crazy,” Benedict said of the Knighthawks opening game. “I have never seen an arena that packed for a lacrosse game. Experiencing that atmosphere was something else.”
The Knighthawks won their last game of the season to advance to the playoffs, where they would defeat Baltimore. For Powless, he thought at the time that the 1995 Knighthawks were meant to be champions.
“We beat Boston, and at that time you hosted based on your attendance, and we had enough to host the semis and beat them,” said Powless. “I thought for sure that the moon and the stars had all aligned for us to finish the season with a championship, plus it was my birthday when we played Philadelphia.”
Unfortunately for Rochester, Paul Gait’s twin brother Gary scored in sudden death overtime in the championship game to prevent the Knighthawks from completing their miracle run. Even in defeat, the team stayed united and took many positives away from their first season.
“After the run, we looked back and thought about how much we accomplished for a first-year team,” Benedict said. “We knew we should have won, but it just came down to possession. Gary Gait got the ball in overtime and beat us. It was either going to be him or Paul [Gait].”
Rochester was able to taste redemption when it won the championship in 1997 against Buffalo, after falling to the Bandits in the semifinals the previous year. Powless and others thoroughly enjoyed giving Rochester the championship that they so deserved.
“That was totally awesome. There is no other feeling in the world that compares to the moment when the final horn goes off, and you are champions. I wish we could have experienced that feeling in ’95,” he said.
Mike Benedict shared the same sentiment with his former head coach, remarking that the 1997 season was for everyone who felt an ounce of disappointment about 1995.
“We were not taking any chances against Buffalo the second time around,” said Benedict. “We came out full force, and we owned them in ’97, it felt great.”
Of course, all things eventually come to an end, and the 1995 team is now part of MILL and NLL history. Looking back, the nostalgia and pride still rests comfortably in the minds of those who accomplished so much for the city of Rochester and those who felt like the experience would never end.
“It has been a number of years, but seeing these guys just brings back so many memories,” said Lemon. “At the time, I thought the future was quite bright, and it seemed like it wasn’t going to end any time soon.”