ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Knighthawks opened the season with a come-from-behind 11-10 victory over the Minnesota Swarm at the Xcel Energy Center on January 8th. Craig Point scored three minutes into overtime to give the Knighthawks an opening night victory. Point led the Knighthawks with three goals and also added one assist, as Rochester needed a late rally to force OT. The K-Hawks scored two goals in five seconds in the final three minutes to tie the game at 10. Shawn Evans (2+1) and Shawn Williams (1+5) scored the fourth-quarter markers. Williams is now just one point away from 900 as a pro, which ties him with John Grant Jr. for fifth on the NLL’s all-time list.
Rookie Cody Jamieson also notched two goals and Matt Vinc was stellar in goal with 40 saves. Vinc, the 2010 NLL Goalie of the Year, was huge in the fourth quarter stopping 12 shots, which included a barrage while the team tried to kill off a five-minute major in the final seven minutes and a 5-on-3 situation.
Pat McCready reached two milestones on Saturday, hitting the 350-point plateau and the 1,400 loose ball mark. Joe Walters also tied his career high with three points (0+3). Head Coach Mike Hasen became the second Knighthawks head coach to win his pro coaching debut in overtime, joining current assistant Paul Day. Day led the Knighthawks to a 15-14 overtime win over the Ontario Raiders on January 3, 1998.
Toronto was also victorious in its home and season opener, earning a 13-7 win over the Edmonton Rush. Blaine Manning led the Rock with six points (1+5), while Stephen LeBlanc (3+1), Garrett Billings (2+2) and Kasey Beirnes (2+2) all chipped in four points each. Bob Watson earned the win in goal in a 36-save effort which earned him player of the week honors along with Toronto forward Aaron Pascas who notched 3 points (2+1). Watson, who ranks third in NLL history in saves, is just 23 stops away from joining Pat O’Toole and Dallas Eliuk in the league’s 6,000-save club. Colin Doyle can also pass Paul Gait for fourth all-time in goals with four. He currently has 407 goals and is already third in NLL history in assists (644) and points (1,051). The game tonight is the first of two straight divisional road games that also takes the Rock to Buffalo on January 22nd.
COURTESY ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS
