The Georgia Swarm rally for a 14-11 victory over Rochester and their first win.
ATLANTA, GA. — The Rochester Knighthawks mustered an inspired effort Saturday night against the Georgia Swarm in a 14-11 loss. After overcoming travel issues, the Knighthawks showed up just prior to faceoff ready to play in Duluth, Ga.
“We battled the best we could under the circumstances,” said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. “You talk about character wins; I think this is a character loss for us.”
Rochester (2-1) came out firing, scoring the first four goals of the game to stun the Swarm (1-2) on a night where they raised their 2017 championship banner. Joe Resetarits powered the first-quarter start with back-to-back power-play goals to finish the night with a team-high five points (3+2).
“We like to attack the net and we came out hot (tonight),” he said. “Our offense has a lot of athleticism up front and speed. We knew with Georgia’s firepower, we had to score.”
The Swarm finally found the net at the end of the first and then tied things up with three goals to open the second quarter. Resetarits, however, put Rochester back in front with his third of the game, but Georgia answered back with four more goals in the second to end the half with a two-goal lead.
The teams went back-and-forth for the remainder of the game, but Rochester fell just short. Cory Vitarelli picked up a hat trick and added one assist, while Kyle Jackson (2+1), Josh Currier (1+1), Eric Fannell, and Cody Jamieson (1+2) each scored one goal. Matt Vinc made 40 saves on the night.
Rochester returns to action in two weeks, as it battles divisional foes Toronto and New England on back-to-back nights. On Friday, Jan. 12, the Knighthawks will travel to Toronto to take on the Rock at 7:30 p. at the Air Canada Centre. The following evening, Rochester will return home to entertain the New England Black Wolves at 7:30 pm. at Connors & Ferris Field at the Blue Cross Arena.