Rochester travels to Connecticut to take on the New England Black Wolves.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — After a bye weekend, the Rochester Knighthawks are back in action on Friday, March 17 to battle the New England Black Wolves at 7:30 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena. The game is the third of four contests between the two teams this season. The season series is tied at one win apiece.
Playoff Hunt: Rochester (4-7) is just one game behind New England (5-6) for the third and final playoff spot in the East Division. The Buffalo Bandits (4-6) are also in the mix as they trail the Black Wolves by just one half game.
Broadcast Info: Friday’s 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 enters the game after winning two of its last three games. On March 4, the Knighthawks earned a dramatic 9-8 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bandits to split the home-and-home series with their East Division rivals. Dan Dawson’s goal at 1:02 of overtime capped an incredible comeback. Dawson led the Knighthawks with five points (1+4), while Kyle Jackson chipped in four (1+3) and Joe Resetarits added three (2+1). Cory Vitarelli also recorded a two-goal effort. Josh Currier forced overtime with a power-play goal with just 2.1 seconds to play. Dawson, who was playing in his 250th pro game, then won it in overtime. Matt Vinc earned the win in goal making 44 saves, which included blanking the Bandits in the first quarter.
Shooting for a Dozen: Joe Resetarits leads the Knighthawks with an 11-game point streak. He can reach a dozen with a point against the Black Wolves.
In-VINC-able: Matt Vinc is third in the NLL in saves (395). He is also fourth in the league in goals-against average (10.83) and save percentage (.790).
Milestone Alert: Dan Dawson needs just nine assists to become only the fourth player in NLL history to reach 800.
Joe Resetarits is six points away from 200 in his career.
Scouting the Black Wolves: New England is riding a two-game winning streak after defeating the Georgia Swarm 13-8 on Sunday. The Black Wolves broke open the game by outscoring the Swarm 7-3 in the second quarter. Shawn Evans and Kyle Buchanan led the way with three-goal, four-assist performances. Goalie Evan Kirk made 44 saves to earn the win.
Next Game: On Saturday, March 25, the Knighthawks, in conjunction with the Veterans Outreach Center (VOC) and Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning, will hold their third annual Military Appreciation Night. That evening, the Knighthawks will honor our men and women in uniform when they host the Buffalo Bandits at 7:30 pm at Connors & Ferris Field at the Blue Cross Arena. All military members, veterans, and reservists are able to receive one complimentary ticket to the game. As a special tribute to the armed forces, both teams will wear special military-themed jerseys, which will be auctioned off with the net proceeds going to their respective Veterans Outreach Centers. This year, the auction will include select jerseys from members of the Knighthawks’ 2007 championship team. The Knighthawks will also donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of special military-themed apparel to the VOC.
Honoring 2007 Team: On March 25, the Knighthawks will celebrate the 10th anniversary of winning the 2007 Champion’s Cup. The organization will honor the players, coaches and staff of that historic team during a full night of festivities. Players attending the game include Mike Accursi, Pat Cougevan, Brian Croswell, Scott Ditzell, Pat Dutton, Scott Evans, Bill Greer, Mike Hasen, Stephen Hoar, Pat O’Toole, Joe Smith, Regy Thorpe, Steve Toll, Phil Wetherup, Shawn Wilkins and Shawn Williams. The entire 2007 coaching staff is also returning, as head coach Ed Comeau and assistants Sean Ferris, John Munroe and Tom Cincebox will attend the game.
2 MLL Rattlers contribute for NLL Swarm
Rochester Rattlers’ Jordan MacIntosh and John Ranagan made contributions for the Georgia Swarm (7-3) on Sunday afternoon.
The Georgia Swarm lost to the New England Black Wolves, 13-8. Ranagan scored one goal as MacIntosh had one assist, picked up 10 loose balls, and was 9-out-of-23 on faceoffs.
Despite the loss, the Swarm still hold first place in the NLL Eastern Conference. The Swarm play on Friday against the second place Toronto Rock (6-4).
Rattler Dhane Smith (Buffalo Bandits) is back in action this Saturday against the Vancouver Stealth (5-6).
Groot traded in MLL
The Chesapeake Bayhawks acquired veteran midfielder Dan Groot, a Canadaigua native, from the Ohio Machine last week in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2017 MLL Collegiate Draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2018 MLL Supplemental Draft.
“Dan is a two-way middie who gives us a lot of flexibility,” said Bayhawks General Manager Dave Cottle. “Dan has proven during his professional career that he can play offense and defense. He is also a left-hander, which is always a plus.”
Groot, 29, played 12 games for the Machine last season and collected 17 groundballs. An eight-year veteran of MLL, Groot has 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 72 career games. The University of Maryland product appeared in three games for the Bayhawks during his rookie season of 2009.