Rochester beats Saskatchewan for the second time this season, 13-10.
SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN — The Rochester Knighthawks knocked off the Saskatchewan Rush 13-10 tonight at SaskTel Centre, sweeping the two-game regular season series. It marked the first time in franchise history that the Knighthawks swept the Rush.
“It was nice they battled through the adversity and stuck with it,” said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. “It showed the confidence they have in each other.”
Rochester led from start to finish as they never allowed the Rush to pull even, despite Saskatchewan getting within one five times. The Knighthawks fought off a late comeback bid with a power-play goal by Cory Vitarelli, and an empty-netter by Austin Shanks in the final three minutes.
“We came out, and we knew we needed that win,” said Shanks, who had a career-high five goals. “I can’t say enough about this team. We just keep battling back and proving we are a good team.”
Shanks’ first two goals staked Rochester to a 3-0 lead as the Knighthawks stormed ahead 7-5 in the first half. Matt Vinc, who made 43 saves, stopped 28 in the first half. Often he got help from his defense, who blocked numerous shots. Ian Llord used his helmet to prevent one opportunity and jumped in front of another.
“That’s been the makeup of our defense for a few years now with guys buying in and soaking shots,” said Vinc. “It epitomizes the way we play as a team; we battle for one another. It’s contagious. Llordy usually gets us going, and it’s nice to see the other guys follow suit.”
The Knighthawks were led by a seven-point effort from Joe Resetarits and six points from Shanks. Eric Fannell scored his first career hat trick, which included a diving goal to open the third quarter. Cody Jamieson, who finished the night with five assists, collected his 600th career point on Fannell’s third of the night.
The Knighthawks opened up an 11-6 lead in the fourth quarter as Shanks scored on a bouncer past the left glove of Evan Kirk. The power-play goal was followed by Scott Campbell’s transition tally at 2:48, which proved to be the game-winner. After a 4-0 Rush run, Vitarelli connected for a power-play tally at 12:09 to give the Knighthawks a 12-10 lead. The goal moved him past Scott Evans and into sole possession of fifth place on the franchise’s all-time goal-scoring list.
By winning for the fifth time in six games, Rochester improved to 7-7 and moved to within a half game of first place in the East Division.
“Any win right now, on this stretch, is a big win,” said Jamieson. “It wasn’t so much that we were facing the Rush, it’s that we were fighting for our playoff lives.”