Rochester and Buffalo resume their rivalry Saturday night.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The I-90 rivalry comes to Rochester on Saturday, Jan. 26 as the Knighthawks host the Buffalo Bandits at 8:00 p.m. on Military Appreciation Night. Both teams will salute our servicemen and servicewomen by wearing special military-themed jerseys, which will be auctioned off to benefit Veterans Outreach Center.
Right now, you can go to Knighthawks.com/auction and bid on your favorite player’s jersey. The auction closes on Saturday at 9:45 pm.
Special Guest: Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, US Army Sgt. Gary Beikirch, will perform the ceremonial faceoff.
Broadcast Info: The game will be broadcast on 107.3 The Bull and the iHeartRadio app. Fans can watch the contest on B/R Live. CW Rochester will also air the contest taped-delayed on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 4:00 p.m. on cable channels 16 and 1016, and over-the-air at 13.2. DIRECTV will also carry the game on channel 14.
Head-to-Head: Rochester leads the all-time regular-season series with a 39-28 record. The 8:00 p.m. Saturday showdown is the second of three meetings this season between the longtime rivals.
Scouting the Knighthawks: Rochester returns home after a season-high three-game road swing. The Knighthawks are 1-3, but only trail East Division-leading Buffalo and Toronto by two and a half games. Rochester is undefeated at home this year, knocking off the Philadelphia Wings, 13-9, on opening night. This season, Cody Jamieson has a team-best 18 points, while Joe Resetarits is second with 15. After scoring twice in the game in Saskatoon last Saturday, Resetarits is now one goal away from his 100th as a Knighthawk. Against the Rush, forwards Mike Burke and Cam Milligan made their Knighthawks debuts.
Milestone Watch:
Joe Resetarits needs one goal to reach 100 as a Knighthawk.
Cory Vitarelli is four points away from 300 in his career.
Pat Saunders is one goal shy of 150.
Scouting the Bandits: Buffalo (4-1) enters the contest in a first-place tie in the East Division. The Bandits are currently riding a three-game winning streak, following a 14-10 victory over the Philadelphia Wings last Saturday. Buffalo leads the NLL with 14.40 goals per game. The high-powered offense is led by Shawn Evans, who leads the NLL with 26 assists and is tied for the league lead with 37 points. Josh Byrne is second in the NLL with 23 assists. Defensively, goalie Matt Vinc is atop the league with an .803 save percentage and is third with a 10.58 goals-against average.
Next Game: The Knighthawks travel to play the Philadelphia Wings on Friday, Feb. 1 at 8:00 p.m. The following night, Rochester will host the Georgia Swarm on Origins of Lacrosse Night, presented by Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. Throughout the evening, the Knighthawks will pay tribute to the roots of the game and highlight the history of the franchise. Rochester will honor the Creator’s Game through Native American music, Fancy and Hoop Dancers, artisans and special guests.
Honoring No. 24: As part of the Knighthawks’ 25th Anniversary, the organization will retire former forward John Grant Jr.’s No. 24. In doing so, Grant will also become the 18th member of the Knighthawks Hall of Fame. “Junior” spent 11 of his 18 years (2000-10) in Rochester after the Knighthawks made him the first overall pick in the 1999 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft. The highly-touted forward completed his stint in the Flower City as the franchise’s all-time leader in goals (433) and points (894). He also posted 461 assists to finish second in that offensive category.
Lax Tournament: The Knighthawks will also celebrate the sport with the hosting of the two-day Upstate Winter Shootout (Feb. 2-3), in conjunction with Harvest Lacrosse.