The Rochester netminder wins the award for the 6th time in 9 years.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The National Lacrosse League named Rochester Knighthawk Matt Vinc the 2017-18 Goaltender of the Year. The St. Catharines, Ontario has now won the award 6 times in the past 9 years.
“This is truly an honor to win this year as so many other goalies had remarkable years,” said Vinc. “Winning this award is extra special because of the year we had in Rochester. We had a great mix of youth and veterans, as well as some of my best friends. Our team played great in all facets of the game, and it was just fun to play behind them.”
Vinc, who already owns the record for the most Goaltender of the Year awards, was also recognized as the league’s top netminder from 2010-11 and 2013-15. His latest award-winning season saw him backstop the Knighthawks to within one win of capturing the NLL Cup. It was Rochester’s first postseason berth since the 2015 season and its first trip to the league championship since 2014. Vinc played a pivotal role in the Knighthawks’ midseason turnaround, as they won eight of their last 10 games to finish second in the East Division with a 10-8 record.
The Knighthawks goalie posted one of the finest seasons of his career, leading Rochester to the Finals for the fourth time in his career. During the regular season, “Vno” finished second in save percentage (.782), third in saves (651) and fourth in goals-against average (11.37) en route to his sixth team MVP award.
“I think his play speaks for itself,” said longtime friend and Rochester teammate Billy Dee Smith. “He is the best goalie in the league and the best that has ever played (in this league). I don’t think there is anybody who would ever argue that at all.”
It was another record-setting campaign for the perennial All-Pro. Just two games into the season, Vinc made a career-high 55 saves in a 21-11 win over the Buffalo Bandits. On March 24, he played in his 200th career game. Less than a month later, he became only the second goalie in NLL history to record 7,000 career saves on April 13.
One of Vinc’s best games of the season, however, was a record-setting effort in the East Division Finals. On May 12, he reached two milestones as he made 46 saves in a 9-8 victory over the defending NLL champion Georgia Swarm. That night, not only did he become the franchise’s all-time postseason saves leader but the NLL’s as well.
Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen put Vinc’s incredible performance into perspective.
“When you look at his resume it ranks him as the best, and he still has more to give,” he said. “He’s not done this year and, in my opinion, for a few more years. He is going to keep adding to his totals and cementing himself as the best goalie ever.”
This past season, his 13th in the NLL, Vinc resumed his assault on the league’s all-time goaltending charts. He passed Bob Watson for second place on the NLL’s all-time saves list and moved within 105 of overtaking Anthony Cosmo (7,222) for first overall. Vno also leapfrogged Pat O’Toole and Watson for second all-time in minutes played (10,960). In 2017-18, Vinc also passed O’Toole for first place in postseason saves in team (749) and NLL (979) history.
At 36 years old, Vinc continues to set the standard for NLL goalies. Winning this year’s Goaltender of the Year award adds to his legacy.
“Look at any great goalie in any professional sport, it’s all about consistency,” said Knighthawks defenseman Ian Llord. “Some guys have good years, but the greats put on a show for so long that the numbers and records say it all.”