By CRAIG POTTER
Rochester beats nemesis goal Aaron Bold of the New England Black Wolves, 15-11.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It took 7 years, but the Rochester Knighthawks finally beat goalie Aaron Bold, and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.
The Knighthawks racked up 11 goals in the first half against the New England Black Wolves netminder en route to a 15-11 East Division semifinal victory on Friday night before 5,263 fans at the Connors & Ferris Field at the Blue Cross Arena.
Rochester will face defending league champion Georgia Swarm next Saturday in the Peach State. The Knighthawks went 2-1 against the Swarm in the regular season splitting there and winning in overtime at the BCA.
“We’re just going to try and keep it simple,” said Knighthawks coach Mike Hasen. “They’re dynamic and they’re quick and can do a lot of damage on offense. We’ve got to be good everywhere.”
Bold played for the Knighthawks in 2010 and 2011, then spent 6 seasons with the Rush in Edmonton and Saskatchewan before joining the Black Wolves this season. Rochester lost every time the Hawks faced Bold, including 3 times during the regular season against the Black Wolves.
“It’s been a process all year long for us,” said Hasen. “We finally got to Bold, which was nice.”
Brad Gillies added, “It was frustrating losing 3 games to them. We felt we should have won some of those games too, so to get over that hump was big for us.”
Rookie Austin Shanks keyed the 11-goal half with 3 of Rochester’s first 4 goals. He added his fourth tally in the second quarter for an 11-4 halftime advantage.
“It was awesome. It takes the monkey off our back,” said Shanks. “They swept us during the regular season, so it was nice to come out here in the playoffs, when it matters, and take that ‘W.’”
The Black Wolves staged a rally in the third period and sliced the difference to 2 (12-10) 41 seconds into the fourth stanza.
“We took a deep breath in the fourth quarter and started playing smart lacrosse and not worry about making mistakes,” said Hasen.
However, defenseman Gillies intercepted a pass and scored on a breakaway to snap New England’s momentum. The goal completed his first pro hat trick for the former RIT lacrosse player, who was playing in his first NLL playoff game as well.
“The crowd was electric tonight,” said Gillies. “To do that in front of them was a great feeling.
Goalie Matt Vinc was outstanding in net for the Hawks, particularly in the first half as he made 27 saves in holding the Wolves to 4 goals. Vinc finished with 49 saves in the game as he passed NLL Hall of Famer Dallas Eliuk for second on the league’s all-time playoff saves list.
“It’s just great to be back in the playoffs,” said Vinc. “That’s why we play. We established something when I first got here in Rochester. The norm was being in the playoffs, and we got away from that. With all those individual records, it’s all about wins and losses.”
Joe Resetarits paced the Hawks with 6 points (2g, 4a) as Gillies finished with a hat trick and 1 assist. Cory Vitarelli and Kyle Jackson each added 2 goals apiece as Graeme Hossack and Eric Fannell accounted for the other goals.
Asked when the team was 2-6, did he feel the team would be where they are right now, Gillies said, “I definitely did. The way that those 6 losses happened, we were right there in most of them.
“I don’t think anybody else thought we could do this but the guys in that dressing room and coaching staff did.”
*NOTES – In the West Division semifinal, Calgary plays at Colorado on Saturday night with the winner to face Saskatchewan in the division final next weekend. The only way for the Knighthawks to get the home floor advantage in the Champion Cup best-of-3 series is for Calgary to win the West while they capture the East title.
Links
Rochester Knighthawks – knighthawks.com
Videos
Matt Vinc 2 saves – https://youtu.be/nAmbgalzTFk
Brad Gillies goal – https://youtu.be/psf9kahc7Hk
Eric Fannell goal – https://youtu.be/Im_uJmLffPU
Kyle Jackson pp goal – https://youtu.be/M8zuyssT8YE
Cory Vitarelli goal – https://youtu.be/uoupWkcJxPY