Christopher Crane, Rochester Knighthawks Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©
Photo Credit: Di Miller
The Rochester Knighthawks (2-1) were on the road last night Saturday January 3, 2026, traveling out West to Ball Arena where they would fall to the Colorado Mammoth suffering their first loss of the season as Colorado improves to 2-2. The game was filled with energy as well as penalties and the fans would see a total of 13-man up opportunities between the two squads. The Knighthawks had not expected such an explosion from the Mammoth given their lackluster showing the previous weekend when the Georgia Swarm (2-2) had shut down Colorado by the score of 12-3. But last night, the Mammoth brought a different attitude into the contest, played aggressive and netminder Dillon Ward was seeing the ball extremely well. On the other side of the floor, Rochester’s goalkeepers were frustrated and Knighthawks Bench Boss Mike Hasen switched out Hutchcraft and Hartley multiple times hoping for success. However, the Mammoth offense was too hot to handle, and they would come away with win number two taking down the only undefeated team in the league. Final Score: Mammoth 18—Knighthawks 13.
Rochester opened the contest a little over two minutes in, but Colorado would break it open by going on a four-goal run over a period of three minutes. But Rochester struck back tallying their own four goal run, eclipsing four power play markers in the first taking a 5-4 lead to start the second.
Colorado would dominate the second with a seven-goal run, building an 11-6 halftime lead behind a perfect night on the power play (4-for-4). But Rochester’s Ryan Lanchbury (4g, 3a) would find the back of the net with 20 seconds remaining to end the run for the Mammoth.
The third saw limited scoring action with the Knighthawks outpacing the Mammoth 3-1. Thomas McConvey would open and close the scoring for Rochester, getting them to within three. Score at the end of three: Mammoth 12—Knighthawks 9.
The Mammoth would open up the fourth which turned out to be a scoring frenzy with a combined 10 goals between the squads. The frame was penalty free after having 30 penalty minutes in the first three quarters. Rochester would get within two midway through the frame and that was as close as they could get. They would pull their netminder several times in the last three minutes in favor of the extra attacker and all attempts failed as Colorado put up three empty netters to close out the night.
Connor Fields led Rochester with eight points on two goals and six assists. Ryan Lanchbury scored a team-high four goals and added three assists, while Thomas McConvey posted six points, including a second-half hat trick in an attempt for a late comeback. Jake Piseno (1g, 1a), Ryan Smith (2g, 3a) and Zed Williams (1g), who came over on trade from the Mammoth to the Knighthawks also found the back of the net against his former team. In goal, for the Knighthawks Rylan Hartley made 13 saves in 28:11 of playing time, while back-up Riley Hutchcraft stopped 12 shots over 31:46.
Colorado was paced by Will Malcom’s nine-point game (4g, 5a), while new acquisition Jack Hannah in a trade from Las Vegas totaled eight points (2g, 6a) in his Colorado Mammoth debut. Teammates Ryan Lee (2g, 5a) recorded seven points, including his 400th career point, and Thomas Vela (2g, 3a) added five points. Colorado netminder Dillon Ward would end up turning aside 43 shots to earn the win against the Knighthawks, also becoming just the sixth goaltender in league history to reach 10,000 minutes played.
STARS OF THE GAME:
Will Malcom—Colorado Mammoth: 4g, 5a
Jack Hannah—Colorado Mammoth: 2g, 6a
Connor Fields—Rochester Knighthawks: 2g, 61
GAME STATS:
Rochester Knighthawks—SOG 56; Saves 25; Sv% .581; FO 15-35; LB 66; PP 4-9; PIM 10
Colorado Mammoth—SOG 43; Saves 44; Sv% .788; FO 20-35; LB 68; PP 4-4; PIM 20
NEXT UP:
The Rochester Knighthawks (2-1) have a double header weekend starting it off on the road at Xfinity Mobile Center for a rematch against the Philadelphia Wings (1-2) on Friday January 9, 2026, game time 7:00 p.m. EST. Then, they’ll return home on Saturday January 10, 2026, to face the Buffalo Bandits (3-1) at Blue Cross Arena, game time 7:00 p.m. EST. Both games will be televised on ESPN+ for fans in the USA, TSN+ for fans in Canada, with everyone also being able to catch the action on NLL+.
The Colorado Mammoth (2-2) are also on the road and will head to Gas South Arena on Saturday January 10, 2026, for their rematch against the Georgia Swarm (2-2) after their 12-3 loss to close out 2025. Game time is 7:30 p.m. EST. Fans in the USA can see the game on ESPN+. Fans in Canada can watch the action on TSN+. And everyone can watch the game on NLL+.
Christopher Crane, Rochester Knighthawks Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©