Rochester is in a Must Win game against the New England Black Wolves to keep their hopes alive.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Knighthawks are back home on Saturday, April 22 to play host to the New England Black Wolves at 7:30 pm at Connors & Ferris Field at the Blue Cross Arena. The game is the fourth and final meeting of the regular season between the two teams.
The Knighthawks remain alive in the East Division playoff hunt. With three games to play, Rochester trails New England by two and a half games with a big showdown upcoming against the Black Wolves.
Mike Kirk Night: Prior to the game, the Knighthawks will honor former defenseman Mike Kirk for his years of service to the organization. “Kirky” was instrumental in helping the Knighthawks win three straight Champion’s Cups during his five seasons in Rochester.
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 begins a two-game homestand after playing in Denver on April 15. Against the Colorado Mammoth, the Knighthawks rallied in the second half, outscoring the Mammoth 6-4. Cory Vitarelli finished with a team-high four points (1+3), while Torrey VanEvery netted a pair of goals in his professional debut. Rookie Jordan Dance also made his pro debut and joined his dad, Kevin, as the first father-son duo to play for the Knighthawks. Brad Gillies earned one assist to extend his career-high point streak to seven games. Joe Resetarits collected one goal and one assist to push his team-leading point streak to 15 games.
Jackson trying to join Elite Company: If Kyle Jackson finishes as the team leader in points, he will join Cory Bomberry (1998) and John Grant Jr. (2000) as only the third rookie in team history to lead the Knighthawks in points. Jackson currently has a team-leading 55 points.
Vinc among Goalie Leaders: Matt Vinc is second in the NLL in goals-against average (11.12) and fifth in save percentage (.780).
Milestone Alert:
• Dan Dawson needs four assists to become only the fourth player in NLL history to reach 800.
• Joe Resetarits, who has 21 goals, needs just five more to set a career high.
• Dylan Evans needs 20 faceoff wins to pass Stephen Hoar (891) to become the franchise’s all-time leader.
• The Knighthawks are two wins shy of reaching 200 as a franchise.
Scouting the Black Wolves: New England is tied for second place in the East Division with an 8-8 record. On April 15, the Black Wolves rallied to defeat Saskatchewan 13-12 in overtime. Shawn Evans netted the winner at 3:17 of OT. Evans leads the team with 89 points (34+55), while Kevin Crowley is second with 76 (38+38). The Black Wolves can lock up their second straight playoff berth with a victory Saturday in Rochester.
Next Game: The Knighthawks will end the regular season with a home-and-home series against the Georgia Swarm. The first leg begins on Friday, April 28 with a 7:30 pm contest at Connor & Ferris Field at the BCA. On Saturday, the Knighthawks will travel to Duluth, Ga. to take on the Swarm at 7:05 pm. Friday’s game will be broadcast on WHAM 1180 and wham1180.iheart.com