SAN DIEGO, CA. — The Rochester Knighthawks fell 12-10 to the San Diego Seals Saturday night in the first-ever game at Pechanga Arena San Diego. The back-and-forth contest featured 9 ties, as the Knighthawks battled right to the final whistle.
Rochester did a lot of things well against the Seals, including getting its power play clicking. The Knighthawks, who scored 2 goals on the man advantage in 2 previous games, scored 4 times on 5 chances. They capitalized twice on the power play in the third quarter. Cody Jamieson, who had 6 points (1+5), gave Rochester its second lead of the night when he tallied a goal 33 seconds into the third to make it 7-6.
“We were moving the ball a lot better,” said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. “We were hitting the open guy and burying our opportunities. That was a bright spot, for sure.”
Jamieson picked up 5 assists to pass the 400-assist plateau. But, the much-decorated forward did not dwell on personal accolades, he instead commented on what the team needs to do to win its second victory.
“It’s a work in progress. It’s getting back to being comfortable with each other and each other’s tendencies,” he said. “It’s Game 3 of an 18-game schedule. We’ve got to keep growing, we’ve got to keep working.”
Jake Withers also reached a milestone as he won 14 faceoffs to move into fifth place on the team’s all-time list. Joe Resetarits scored twice, including off a tremendous individual effort early in the fourth to tie the game at nine. He now sits three shy of 100 in his career.
The Knighthawks also received a 37-save performance from goalie Angus Goodleaf. He made two huge stops with his team trailing 10-9, which included a breakaway stop on San Diego’s Tor Reinholdt. Shortly after the stop, Austin Shanks scored to tie the contest for the final time, 10-10.
Rochester also got 3 goals from Kyle Jackson and a 3-point effort (2+1) from Cory Vitarelli (2+1). Jackson scored three times in the first half as the teams went into halftime tied at six.
Rochester is now 1-2 and concludes its season-high 3-game road swing next Saturday in Saskatoon. The 8:30 pm EST showdown against the Saskatchewan Rush is a rematch of the 2018 National Lacrosse League Final.