Rochester travels to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for the key matchup.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Knighthawks will kick off a 3-game road stretch on Saturday, Jan. 21 in Saskatoon, as they battle the Saskatchewan Rush at 9:30 p.m. The game features the last five winners of the Champion’s Cups with Rochester capturing the hardware from 2012-14, and the Rush winning the last two NLL titles.
Road Warriors: In consecutive weeks, the Knighthawks will play the Rush, Toronto Rock, and New England Black Wolves. The three-game road trip is the first of two this season for the Knighthawks.
Broadcast Info: The game will be broadcast on 107.3 The Bull and is available on the iHeartRadio app. Fans can also watch the contest on NLL TV (nlltv.com).
Scouting the Knighthawks: Rochester (1-1) enters the game after earning a convincing 15-8 victory over the New England Black Wolves on Jan. 7. The Knighthawks were led by rookie forward Kyle Jackson, who posted two goals and nine assists for 11 points. Rochester also received production from fellow rookies Josh Currier (3+2) and Dan Lomas (2+3). Stephen Keogh recorded three goals and three assists in his 2017 debut, while Joe Resetarits chipped in one goal and four assists. The Rochester power play was deadly, scoring nine times to finish one goal shy of tying the league and team record of 10 set in 2007.
Isn’t that Special: Rochester’s penalty-killing unit leads the league with an 80 percent success rate. The Knighthawks’ power play is also among the most productive in the NLL, standing tied for second with 10 goals.
Fantastic Four: The Knighthawks have four of the top point producing rookies in the NLL. Jackson leads all NLL rookies with 11 points, while Currier (seven) ranks third and Lomas (five) is tied for fifth. Last but not least is Wayne Van Every, who is tied for eighth with three points.
Action Jackson: Jackson’s 11 points tied the Knighthawks rookie record of 11 set by John Grant Jr. on April 1, 2000. Jackson did, however, set the rookie mark for assists in a game with nine.
Milestone Alert:
*Matt Vinc needs 45 saves to become only the fifth player in NLL history to reach 6,000.
*In his next game, Sid Smith will tie Hall of Famer Jeremy Hollenebeck for eighth on the team’s all-time games played list with 111.
*Scott Campbell needs just two games to play in his 100th as a Knighthawk.
*Paul Dawson needs just three games to play in his 150th as a Knighthawk.
*Jarrett Davis needs just three games to play in his 100th as a pro.
*The Knighthawks are only six wins away from reaching the 200-win plateau as a franchise.
Scouting the Rush: Saskatchewan enters the contest with an 0-2 record after dropping a 13-11 decision to the Toronto Rock on Saturday. The Rush rallied from a 10-2 deficit to get within one at 11-10 in the fourth, but could not complete the comeback. After two games, Mark Matthews leads the team with five goals and seven assists. The Rush roster includes three rookies: Ryan Keenan, Mike Messenger and Matt Hossack. Matt, who played at RIT, is the younger brother of Rochester’s Graeme Hossack.
Knighthawks Next Game: The Knighthawks will travel to the Air Canada Centre to play the rival Toronto Rock for the second time this season. The game on Saturday, Jan. 28 is a 7:00 p.m. faceoff. Fans can catch all the action on 107.3 The Bull and NLL TV (nlltv.com).
Knighthawks Next Home Game: Rochester returns home on Saturday, Feb. 11 to host the Saskatchewan Rush at 7:30 p.m. Prior to the contest, the Knighthawks will hold their Annual Kids Day, which features inflatables, laser tag, face painters, balloon animals and air brush tattoos. Admission to the pregame event and the game are free for kids 12 and under with the purchase of an adult ticket. The offer is limited to three kids tickets for every adult ticket purchased. Fans must have a ticket to enter. The event is presented by Connors & Ferris, Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning, Wilkins RV, Farmers Insurance, Zweigle’s and Bill Gray’s.