Rochester needs a victory to keep its slim playoff hopes alive.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Knighthawks head to Mohegan Sun Arena needing a win to stay alive in the East Division playoff race. On Sunday at 1 pm, Rochester will play the team it is chasing for the fourth and final playoff spot, the New England Black Wolves.
New England can secure a playoff berth this weekend with a win over Rochester and a Philadelphia loss versus Toronto.
Broadcast Info: The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1280 and the iHeartRadio app. Fans can watch the contest on B/R Live.
Head-to-Head: The Sunday afternoon contest against the New England Black Wolves is the second of three meetings between the two teams.
Scouting the Knighthawks: The Knighthawks enter the contest after a close 12-9 loss to the Calgary Roughnecks. In last Saturday’s game, Kyle Jackson powered the Knighthawks’ offense with 3 goals and 1 assist, while Ryan Benesch notched a pair of goals. Cody Jamieson and Graeme Hossack also chipped in three points each. Hossack continues to lead all league defensemen in assists (14) and is now second in points (21). Jake Withers once again dominated the faceoff circle, winning 21 of 25 draws. Withers currently leads the NLL with a 74 percent faceoff winning percentage. Forward Chris Boushy is fifth in the NLL in points among rookies with 28. Since being acquired from Calgary, Boushy has posted 9 goals, and 5 assists in 3 games. Rochester is in sixth place in the East Division with a 2-11 record.
Milestone Watch:
• Cody Jamieson is two goals away from 250 in his career.
• Kyle Jackson needs seven assists to reach 100.
Scouting the Black Wolves: New England (7-7) enters the week in fourth place in the East Division, following its second straight loss. The Black Wolves suffered a 13-8 setback to the Philadelphia Wings on March 23. The Black Wolves return home where they have won their last four games, dating back to Feb. 9. New England will get much-needed help on offense with the return of Callum Crawford. The forward leads his team in goals (34), assists (47) and points (81). He is also third in goals and tied for fifth in the NLL in points. David Brock is tied for fifth in the league in points among defensemen with 12, and he is third in caused turnovers (25).
Next Game: The Knighthawks will host their Second Annual Cradle for the Cure Game on Saturday, April 6. That night, Rochester will entertain the Toronto Rock at 7:30 p.m. at Connors & Ferris Field at The Blue Cross Arena. The Knighthawks and Rock will wear special uniforms, which will be auctioned off to benefit CURE Childhood Cancer Association. Each player’s jersey will include the name of the person they are playing for on their nameplate. Fans can bid on the game-worn, signed jerseys at www.knighthawks.com/Auction. The auction will begin on Sunday, March 31 at noon and end at 9:30 pm on Saturday, April 6.