Rochester likely will face former goalie Matt Vinc in net for the Bandits.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Knighthawks will begin a season-high three-game road swing on Saturday, Jan. 5, when they battle the Buffalo Bandits at 7:30 p.m. at KeyBank Center. The contest is the first of three meetings between the western New York lacrosse rivals.
Broadcast Info: The game will be broadcast on 107.3 The Bull and the iHeartRadio app. Fans can watch the contest on B/R Live.
Head-to-Head: Rochester leads the all-time regular-season series with a 39-27 record. Last season, the Knighthawks finished 3-1 against the Bandits.
Scouting the Knighthawks: Rochester opened its 25th Anniversary season with a 13-9 win over the Philadelphia Wings on Dec. 29. Cody Jamieson, with three goals and three assists, led a balanced attack that featured seven different goal scorers. Cory Vitarelli (3+1) and Austin Shanks (2+2) also chipped in four-point efforts. Joe Resetarits, who posted two points, played in his 100th NLL game last weekend. In goal, Angus Goodleaf kicked off the season as the team’s starter by making a career-high 50 saves, which included blanking the Wings in the opening frame. Supported by a stifling defense, the Knighthawks held Philadelphia to two goals in the first half. With the victory, head coach Mike Hasen won his 76th game to become the franchise’s all-time wins leader.
Rookie debuts: Four Rochester players made their professional debuts on Dec. 29. Brandon Robinson led the way with two goals and one assist as part of a three-point effort. Forward Dylan Riley and defenseman James Barclay also contributed one assist apiece, while defenseman Luke Van Schepen scooped up 7 loose balls.
Milestone Watch:
Joe Resetarits needs 5 goals to reach 100 as a Knighthawk.
Cory Vitarelli needs 4 points to hit 250.
Cody Jamieson is 5 assists away from 400.
Pat Saunders is 1 goal shy of 150 in his career.
Scouting the Bandits: Buffalo (2-1) enters the week tied with Rochester (1-0) for second place in the East Division. The Bandits have won two of their first three games with former Knighthawks goalie Matt Vinc backstopping the winning efforts. The last time Buffalo was in action, the Bandits knocked off the Vancouver Warriors 16-10 on Dec. 28. After 3 games, Shawn Evans leads the NLL with 21 assists and 28 points. Josh Byrne is second in both categories with 17 assists and 25 points. The second-year pro is also tied with teammate Thomas Hoggarth for second in the league with eight goals.
Next Game: Rochester will fly west to play the San Diego Seals on Saturday, Jan. 12. The 3-game set ends on Saturday, Jan. 19 against the Saskatchewan Rush in a rematch of the 2018 National Lacrosse League Finals.
Next Home Game: The Knighthawks, in conjunction with Veterans Outreach Center (VOC) and Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning, will hold their fifth annual Military Appreciation Night on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 8 pm. For the third straight season, the Knighthawks and Buffalo Bandits players will wear special military-themed jerseys, which will be auctioned off with the net proceeds going to Veterans Outreach Center. The Knighthawks will also donate a portion of the monies from the sale of military-themed merchandise to VOC.
All military members, veterans, and reservists can receive one complimentary ticket at the Blue Cross Arena Box Office with a Military ID. To support Military Appreciation Night, please call the Knighthawks office at (585) 454-HAWK (4295), or go online to knighthawks.com/military