The Rochester Midget and Bantam teams beat the Jr. Stealth in Round 1.
OAKVILLE, ONT. — The Jr. Knighthawks kicked off the fifth annual Jr. NLL Tournament with back-to-back wins over the Jr. Stealth. The Midget team opened the day with a 9-8 victory, while the Bantam side put away the Jr. Stealth 9-7.
“I have really been impressed so far,” said Knighthawks coach Brad Gillies. “Everybody is coming together as a team. We are starting to see some really good things out there. There is a lot we can build off of. To start the day 2-0, there’s not much more we can ask for as a coaching staff.”
In the Midget game, Casey McDermott led the way with four goals and one assist. Lukas Stanat also chipped in four points (2+2) and Dylan Kuntz posted three (2+1). The Jr. Knighthawks used four second-half power-play goals to break open the game, and held off a late Jr. Stealth rally to start the tourney 1-0.
The Bantam game was also a tight affair, as the Jr. Knighthawks raced out to a 7-2 lead only to have the Jr. Stealth responded with a 5-0 run. With the game 7-6, Matthew Blythe scored a huge goal with under four minutes to play to give the Hawks a two-goal cushion. Bryson Green’s goal with 44 seconds to play sealed the 9-7 win for the Jr. Knighthawks.
Caden Padelford powered the offense with two first-half goals and finished with a three-point effort. Cole Beardsley also added three assists.
“It has been awesome,” said Padelford, who is playing in his second Jr. NLL Tournament. “It has been a lot of fun.”
The PeeWee team will begin play at 5 pm against the Jr. Bandits at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre. The Jr. Knighthawks Midget team will finish up Day One with a 5 pm showdown against Edmonton at Glen Abbey Recreation Centre.
The Jr. Knighthawks teams are being coached by Gillies, Luke Laszkiewicz, Dan Dawson, and Angus Goodleaf.