Georgia “Swarms” Rochester as Dan Lintner scores the first goal in franchise history.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — On a night where the Rochester Knighthawks were celebrating a new era in the National Lacrosse League, the team was unable to find the offensive spark that they needed as the Knighthawks opened their inaugural season with a 14-4 loss to the Georgia Swarm Saturday before 5,642 fans at the Segar & Sciortino Field at the Blue Cross Arena.
Newcomer Dan Lintner had a team-high two-point night (1+1), including scoring the first goal in franchise history, while being one of four different goal-scorers for the new-look Knighthawks. Phil Caputo, Dan Michel and Jay Thorimbert also scored for Rochester while Craig Wende made 44 saves on 58 shots he faced in his Knighthawks debut.
Georgia was fueled by the duo of Lyle and Miles Thompson, who erupted for 12 points between the two of them, including a four-goal effort from Lyle. Shayne Jackson also posted a seven-point night for the Swarm behind a stellar 36-save performance from veteran goaltender Mike Poulin. The Swarm goaltender held Rochester to just a single goal or less in three of the four quarters before being replaced by Mike Orleman in the final nine minutes of the contest.
Georgia controlled the matchup from the onset with the Thompson brothers combing for nine points in the first half, including five from Lyle.
The Swarm set the tone early in the contest, storming out to a 3-0 lead less than six minutes after the opening face-off on back-to-back goals from Miles Thompson and a tally just 51 seconds later from Jordan Hall, a former Knighthawk in the previous organization.
Lintner cut into the deficit at 8:41 off a feed from Shawn Evans, but a quick response from Lyle Thompson overshadowed Rochester’s first goal in franchise history and restored a three-goal cushion for the Swarm at the close of the first quarter. The Knighthawks had a chance to trim the deficit even further but couldn’t capitalize on a full two-minute two-man advantage with 2:12 remaining.
Thompson’s first tally of the night would set off a 9-0 run for the Swarm to begin the second quarter. Jason Noble beat Wende 29 seconds and Jackson scored twice in a span of 3:33, once on the power-play and then again shorthanded, to make it 7-1 Georgia.
Georgia’s special teams continued to be a factor as Lyle Thompson converted on a penalty shot opportunity before Jackson and Miles Thompson each scored with the Swarm a man down. Lyle Thompson and Hall would earn the assists on both shorthanded tallies.
Caputo eventually ended Georgia’s nine-goal run with his first of the season at 14:58 of the third quarter, connecting on a cross-field pass from Turner Evans to make it 12-2.
The fourth quarter saw the teams exchange a pair of goals each, but the Knighthawks couldn’t muster any more offense in the 14-4 loss.
“In the fourth quarter, we begin to play the way we wanted to,” said head coach Mike Hasen. “We were moving our feet offensively and making the easy passes. Defensively, we were tighter. Those are things we need to do for a full 60 minutes. We can use the positives as building blocks we can use moving forward.”
Rochester is back in action on Saturday, Dec. 21 when they head north of the border for the first of three matchups against the North Division rival Halifax Thunderbirds at Scotiabank Centre. Game time is slated for a 6:00 p.m. ET start and will be carried live on 107.3 The Bull.
Knighthawks announce captains
The Rochester Knighthawks announced that veteran defenseman Paul Dawson has been named team captain for Rochester’s inaugural season. Dawson will be joined by forwards Shawn Evans and Curtis Knight, who will serve as assistant captains.
“We are lucky to have these three men lead us into our inaugural season,” said Knighthawks General Manager and Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Dan Carey. “We have a lot of youth and inexperience on our roster who will all benefit from the leadership of Paul, Shawn and Curtis, who each bring a different style of leadership. What they have in common is they are all extremely competitive professionals who ultimately want what is best for our team.”
Dawson, who becomes the first captain in team history, spent parts of the last seven seasons with the previous Knighthawks franchise, recording 36 points (13+23) in 110 career games while winning back-to-back championships (2013-14) along the way. Dawson also piled up 231 penalty minutes during his tenure in Rochester, ranking sixth all-time. He served as an alternate captain during the 2018-19 campaign and was named to the Knighthawks’ All-Time Team. Dawson appeared tonight in his 200th professional game.
Evans was acquired by the Knighthawks first overall in the 2019 NLL Expansion Draft, returning him to the city that he spent the first six years of his pro career. Evans spent last season – his 14th in the NLL – with the rival Buffalo Bandits, posting 94 points (28+66) in 17 games to finish seventh in the league in scoring. He helped the Bandits claim the East Division with an NLL-best 14-4 record during the regular season and an appearance in the NLL Cup Finals, bringing Buffalo to within one win of its fifth NLL championship. A two-time NLL MVP with the Calgary Roughnecks in 2013 and 2015, the Peterborough, Ontario, native played the first six years of his pro career with the former Knighthawks franchise, during which he totaled 363 points (143+220) in 93 games while leading Rochester to an NLL championship in 2007. Over his NLL career, Evans has earned four straight All-Pro First Team selections and was named to the NLL All-Rookie Team in 2006.
Knight, who also acquired by Rochester in the 2019 NLL Expansion Draft, spent the first six seasons of his NLL career with the Saskatchewan Rush from 2013-19, recording 307 points (122+185) and 350 loose balls in 99 games. The Oshawa, ONT., native helped the Rush to six consecutive first-place finishes in the regular season while also leading the team to a pair of NLL titles over a three-year span. In his second season with the Rush in 2014, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound forward was named team MVP after registering a career-high 72 points, including 35 goals, which ranked 10th in the NLL. Knight was originally drafted by the Edmonton Rush in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2012 NLL Entry Draft.
*NOTES — Leading the Knighthawks into the expansion-era is an all-too-familiar face in head coach Mike Hasen. One of the most decorated coaches in league history, Hasen is certainly no stranger to Rochester, having served as head coach of the former Knighthawks franchise since the 2011 season. In 9 seasons behind the bench, Hasen guided Rochester to an 81-75 regular season record while leading the team to 6 playoff appearances. Hasen’s most successful run at the helm of the Knighthawks came from 2012-14 when he made National Lacrosse League history by leading Rochester to an unprecedented three straight Champion’s Cups. He remains the only NLL bench boss to accomplish the feat. Hasen will be joined alongside assistant coaches Pat O’Toole and Mat Giles for the 2019-20 season…Rochester is back in action on Saturday, Dec. 21 when they head north of the border for the first of three matchups against the North Division rival Halifax Thunderbirds, which is the former Knighthawks franchise, owned by Curt Styres…Assistant captain Curtis Knight appeared in his 100th pro game…Jay Thorimbert went 8-for-12 on faceoffs and is now 9 faceoff wins away from surpassing Geoff Snider (2,468) as the NLL’s all-time leader.