Rochester and Buffalo square off Friday at the BCA.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Knighthawks will battle their oldest rival, the Buffalo Bandits, on a night where the organization throws it back to the first year of Knighthawks’ lacrosse.
On Party Like it’s 1995 Night, fans can celebrate the freshest decade of all as they enjoy musical hits from the ‘90s and other special themed promotions. The organization also will bring back members of the 1995 team. Faceoff is set for 7:30 pm Friday, Feb. 22, at Connors & Ferris Field at the Blue Cross Arena.
Head-to-Head: The contest is the third and final meeting of the regular season between the I-90 rivals. The last time these two teams met, it was a high-scoring, physical affair, with the Knighthawks coming out on top 18-13 on Jan. 26. Rochester leads the all-time series with a 40-28 record.
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.
Scouting the Knighthawks: Rochester enters the game in fifth place in the East Division. Prior to their bye weekend, the Knighthawks fell 16-13 to the New England Black Wolves at Mohegan Sun Arena. Rochester nearly pulled off an incredible comeback as it rallied from a seven-goal deficit to pull within two on three occasions during its six-goal fourth quarter. Kyle Jackson led the way with two goals and six assists, while Joe Resetarits finished the contest with four goals and three assists. Cody Jamieson also posted three goals and three assists. Brad Gillies scored his first goal of the season late in the first quarter to give Rochester a 4-3 lead. In goal, Angus Goodleaf made 35 saves, and Warren Hill finished with three saves on four shots.
Home Cooking: Rochester forward Austin Shanks has notched 17 of his 25 points at home this season. In three games on his home turf, the second-year pro has 13 goals and four assists.
Crazy Eights: Five Knighthawks have eight-game point streaks this season: Joe Resetarits, Austin Shanks, Cory Vitarelli, Kyle Jackson, and Cody Jamieson.
Déjà vu all over again: For the second straight season, Rochester owns a 2-6 mark after eight games. It was at this point last season that the Knighthawks went on a historic run and advanced to the 2018 National Lacrosse League Finals.
Scouting the Bandits: Buffalo owns an 8-2 record and is tied for first place in the East Division. Since losing to Rochester on Jan. 26, the Bandits have gone on a four-game winning streak. In their last contest, the Bandits knocked off the Calgary Roughnecks, 12-10. The Bandits have soared to a league-best eight wins on the strength of one of the league’s top offenses and defenses. Buffalo has scored an NLL-best 146 goals and Shawn Evans leads the league with 63 points. Evans and Dhane Smith are also tied for the top spot with 43 assists. In goal, Matt Vinc is 8-0 and is tied for the NLL lead with a .795 save percentage. He also has the second-best goals-against average (10.48)
Next Game: The Knighthawks travel to play the Georgia Swarm at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, March 2 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Field at Infinite Energy Arena.