Di Miller, NLL Correspondent
Lacrosse Is Awesome©
Featured Image Photo Credit: Micheline V.
On Friday April 22, 2022, the Rochester Knighthawks (4-13) played host to the Calgary Roughnecks (9-8) in only the second meeting of the two teams in league history. The 3,707 Knighthawks fans who attended the game were glad they did as they saw a stellar performance by their team who did not disappoint. Each team was heading into the game on streaks…Rochester with an eight-game losing streak and Calgary on a five-game winning streak. Something had to give last night, and it was Calgary’s offense as it folded under the on-point Rochester defense as only three of their seven goals were 5 on 5. This victory would be the first be that the Knighthawks would defeat a team not located in the state of New York in the 2021-22 season. Joel Watson would get the nod and head to the crease for Rochester; he would notch his first career NLL win and the best game of his career with 43 saves on 50 shots. Holden Cattoni would also notch his 60th point this season, the first Knighthawk to hit the mark this season. So all in all, it was a great night for the home team. Final Score: Knighthawks 15—Roughnecks 7.
Calgary got it going when Jesse King (2g, 2a) notched one on a man-up from way out off the feed from Curtis Dickson to get them on the board 1-0 at the 2:5o mark. Rochester would tie it up 1-1 when Ryan Smith (4g, 1a) teamed up with Charlie Bertrand at 6:23. But the Knighthawks would go man down once more on a slashing call and Calgary would capitalize. This time Zach Herreweyers (2g, 1a) painted the top corner through traffic for a power-play tally at 9:10 restoring their lead 2-1. It took about four and change but Rochester would hit back. Matt Burke (2g, 1a) would notch his first on the night knotting the score back 2-2 at 13:18. It looked like the game would be tied at the end of the first, but after the time-out Dickson fed to Dan Taylor (1g) and he was able to find the net right before the buzzer at 14:59 for the go ahead tally. Score at the end of one: Roughnecks 3—Knighthawks 2.
The second was all Rochester as they would outscore Calgary 6-1. Tyler Biles (1g, 1a) got it going early for the Knighthawks notching the tying goal at 1:51 for his first career NLL goal after he forced the turnover near the midfield line, scooped the loosie and headed down the floor on a breakaway and blew it past Del Bianco. This started a four-goal run for the home squad. Matthew Bennett (1g, 1a) would score his first goal of the season at the 4:45 mark when Del Bianco tried to clear the ball and Bennett intercepted it and with the wide-open net, he’d notch to go ahead tally for the first Knighthawks lead on the night 4-3. Curtis Knight (3g, 1a) would score back-t0-back markers the first at 5:02 and the second, a man up tally at 6:58 giving them a two-goal lead 5-3. Dickson (2g, 5a) would finally find the back of the net with 2:40 left in the frame halting the four-goal run but that’s the only time Calgary would find twine in the second. Knight would complete his hat-trick only 95 seconds later in transition erasing the Roughnecks goal with 1:05 in the half. With 26.7 on the ticker the Knighthawks would go with the 6 on 5 and with 2.4 on the shot clock, Holden Cattoni (1g, 2a) with the stutter step fired it past Del Bianco five-hole. Roughnecks Bench Boss Curt Malasky had already used a challenge flag earlier in the half and lost the call, so he chose not to challenge the goal. Score at the end of two: Knighthawks 8—Calgary 4.
It was a very slow third with great defense on both sides of the floor. The Roughnecks had 12 shots on goal and only connected with one off another man-up tally by Herreweyers at the 8:54 mark, his second power-play goal on the night. Rochester had a total of seven shots on the net and with 49.5 seconds in the frame, Burke was left wide open and painted the far top corner from way out, the first Knighthawks goal since 2.4 left in the half. Score at the end of three: Knighthawks 9—Calgary 5.
Calgary started the fourth man up due to a late slashing call on Matthew Bennett right before the buzzer. So far in the game, Calgary had only scored two of their five goals when they were 5 on 5. The other three were man up goals. King would score early into the man up at .40 seconds for Calgary, his second man up tally on the night to get them within three 9-6. Smith would notch back-to-back-to-back goals for the Knighthawks the first at 3:30. His goal at 5:36 was a beauty when he tip-toed the crease, jumped and dunked it over the right shoulder of Del Bianco. Malawsky threw the challenge flag, but there was inconclusive evidence, so it was called a good goal. Smith would get his third in a row at 7:24 when he went high on Del Bianco giving them a six-goal lead 12-6. Mitch Ogilvie who was just activated after the shoot around before the game, scored his second career NLL goal after a scrum at the boards, he scooped the loosie in transition, headed to the cage on a one-on-one and went five-hole on Del Bianco 13-6. Dickson would once again halt the four-goal run scoring the final goal for Calgary with 2:38 in the game 13-7. The next two came from Thomas Hoggarth (2g, 1a) the first with 2:13 on a breakaway and the final with 1:51 on the clock. Calgary tried but couldn’t muster another goal as Watson held them out the net. Final Score: Knighthawks 15—Roughnecks 7.
Oddly enough Rochester would match the goals scored in last night’s contest with their last victory this season when they defeated the Albany FireWolves on February 12, 2022.
STATS:
Calgary Roughnecks—SOG 50; Saves 32; FO 14-25; Assists 12; LB 74; PP 4-5
Rochester Knighthawks—SOG 47; Saves 43; FO 11-25; Assists 20; LB 75; PP 1-4
NEXT UP:
The Rochester Knighthawks (4-13) will close out the season when they host the Halifax Thunderbirds (9-7) at Blue Cross Arena for the first time ever on Saturday April 30, game time 7:00 p.m. EST. Fans in the USA can catch the game on ESPN+. Fans in Canada can see the action on TSN.ca or the TSN app.
The Calgary Roughnecks (9-8) will close out the season at home at Scotiabank Saddledome when they host the Colorado Mammoth (10-7) on Saturday April 30, game time 9:00 p.m. EST. This game has major implications for both. This game will determine who wins the three-game series between the two. If Colorado loses depending upon the outcome of the San Diego Seals game tonight April 23, 2022, and their game next weekend, the Mammoth could drop from First in the West. Calgary has very little chance to take over first in the West as San Diego holds the tie breaker over them having defeated them in all three meetings this year. Fans in the USA can catch the game on ESPN+. This is the game of the week for fans in Canada and you can catch the action on TSN.
Di Miller, NLL Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©