TONIGHT’S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Knighthawks (6-7) continue their push to the postseason tonight as they bring the month of March to a close against the Halifax Thunderbirds (8-7) at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:00 p.m. contest will be the second and final meeting this season between the two teams and will be carried live on Big 107.3 FM as well as ESPN+.
SEASON SERIES SNAPSHOT
Rochester aims to get back in the win column while also looking to avoid the season sweep at the hands of the Thunderbirds, who prevailed in the previous get-together by way of a 13-8 win when the teams last met just over two months ago in Halifax. Despite another three-goal performance from Connor Fields, the Knighthawks fell behind early and were unable to overcome their deficit in what became their third straight loss after opening the season with three straight wins. In addition to Fields recording his fourth hat trick in six games, four other Knighthawks finished with multi-point nights while the contest also featured the professional debuts of Ben Macdonnell, Rochester’s 16th overall pick in the 2023 NLL Entry Draft, and Taylor Jensen. Macdonnell scored his first pro goal on his only shot of the night. The Thunderbirds return to the Flower City having claimed five of the first six meetings between the two teams, with Rochester’s lone win over that span coming at home on Feb. 11 of last season. The Knighthawks and Thunderbirds have consistently been among the league’s top three offensive teams all season and tonight promises to be no different. Entering the weekend, Rochester continues to lead the league with 12.85 goals per game through its first 13 games of the season. Halifax remains at a close third, averaging 12.60 goals per game while scoring an NLL-best 189 goals. Additionally, Rochester (82.31) and Halifax (78.33) rank first and second in shots per game, respectively, while the Thunderbirds have are also averaging the second-fewest shots per game (67.27) behind only San Diego.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite another big performance from Connor Fields, the Knighthawks couldn’t get their offense to click after the first quarter last Saturday night in Denver, where they fell to the Colorado Mammoth by a 13-7 outcome at Ball Arena As a result, Rochester dropped back below .500 with a 6-7 record with five games remaining in the NLL campaign. After storming out to a 4-1 first-quarter lead, Rochester was held to just a single goal in each of the final three frames and were outscored 10-2 in the second half. The loss snapped a three-game win streak, the second of its kind for the Knighthawks this season. Fields had another impressive night on the stat sheet, reaching 40 goals on the season with a hat trick and four-point performance (3+1). Rochester’s leading scorer also led the way with 15 shots and 13 loose ball recoveries, while Matt Gilray scooped 11 loose balls. Ryan Lanchbury (2+3) and Ryan Smith (2+1) joined Fields in finding the back of the net. Rookie forward Thomas McConvey tallied three assists, while Riley Hutchcraft recorded 30 saves in the loss..
THE PAST MEETS THE PRESENT
Tonight may be just the seventh meeting all-time between the Knighthawks and Thunderbirds, but it’s the historical significance that runs much deeper. While Rochester is currently in its fourth season as an expansion franchise, the Thunderbirds, led by fourth-year head coach Mike Accursi, relocated to Halifax during the summer of 2019 following 25 seasons in Rochester as the original Knighthawks franchise. The previous Knighthawks joined the NLL in 1998 following three seasons in the MILL, winning 10 division titles and five NLL championships, including three straight from 2012-14 under the ownership of Curt Styres, who also serves as the team’s general manager. The Styres-led Knighthawks remains the only team in NLL history to win three consecutive championships, a team that was coached by current Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Of the 21 players on Halifax’s current active roster, at least eight have ties to the previous Knighthawks organization. Even Accursi himself is also a former original Knighthawk, whom he led to a Champion’s Cup in 2007 as a teammate of Hasen’s before winning his second straight title the following year during his second stint with Buffalo.
SHOOTING GALLERY
Having combined for 55 goals in their last four games, the most in franchise history over a three-game span, it should come as no surprise the Knighthawks enter Week 18 leading the NLL in goals per game with 12.85. Up until this week, Rochester was the only team across the league averaging more than 13 goals per game while their 167 goals overall rank eighth-most. Additionally, the Knighthawks are currently tied for fifth in the NLL in total shots-for (1,070) but continue to pace the league in average shots per game (82.31). The only team averaging more than 80 shots per game, Rochester has outshot the opposition in 10 of its first 13 games this season, including in all but one road game. The Knighthawks have also topped the 60-shot mark on five different occasions, highlighted by a franchise-best 73 shots in the win at Panther City earlier this month. Rochester is 4-6 this season when outshooting the opponent and 5-6 when finishing with 50 or more shots.
Rochesther vs Halifax 01-27-2024
POST, WITHERS TAKE CENTER STAGE
In addition to what should be an offensive showdown between two of the league’s top powerhouses, the matchup will also be a battle at the center dot featuring two of the top face-off specialists in Halifax’s Jake Withers and Rochester’s Joe Post. A former Knighthawk in the previous organization, Withers has been a dominant force at the center dot all season, leading the NLL with 297 face-off wins and operating at nearly a 75% conversion rate. A two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection and Big Ten Specialist of the Year at Ohio State University, Withers also paces the league with 249 loose ball recoveries, 97 more than Calgary’s Zach Currier, who ranks second in that category. Withers was named the NLL Rookie of the Year and an All-Rookie Team selection following the 2018 season after being drafted second overall by the previous Knighthawks franchise in the 2017 NLL Entry Draft. Post, meanwhile, has held his own in his first full season with his hometown team after being a midseason acquisition during the 2022-23 campaign. The Canandaigua native has been nearly unbeatable at the center dot this season, winning 217 face-offs on 351 attempts for a 61.8% success rate. His 217 wins, which as of last week are a new single-season franchise record, rank fifth in the NLL while his 122 loose ball recoveries are also tied for ninth-most. Post’s 26 face-off wins against Panther City set the new single-game mark, besting the 24 he had earlier this season in Saskatchewan. Dating back to his rookie season, Post, who played his collegiate lacrosse at nearby St. John Fisher University, has won 280-of-482 career face-off attempts, good for a 58.1% efficiency rate.
DYNAMIC DUO SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS
After emerging as one of the most dynamic and productive scoring duos in the NLL a season ago, Connor Fields and Ryan Smith have again taken the league by storm in 2023-24. The forwards have combined for 80 goals and 178 points through Rochester’s first 13 games, making them the second-best point-producing twosome in the league behind only Buffalo’s Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith, who after this weekend will undoubtedly be the only two teammates in the NLL to crack the 100-point mark in the same season. Fields and Smith, meanwhile, will likely become the only pair of teammates in the league to each have at least 40 goals and 80 points in the same number of games played. In addition to leading the Knighthawks in goals (41), assists (52) and points (93), Fields continues to pace all NLL forwards with 121 loose ball recoveries. Coming into the weekend just 15 points back of the league’s scoring lead, Fields remains well on track of shattering his previous career-high of 112 points and is on pace to finish the season with 135 points, making him a viable candidate for this year’s Most Valuable Player. Fields, who’s also fifth in the NLL with a team-best nine power-play tallies, needs just seven more points to join Joe Resetarits, a former Knighthawk in the previous organization, as the only two American-born players in league history to reach the 100-point mark in back-to-back seasons. Like Fields, Smith is also in the process of assembling a career-year following his second 10-point effort of the season on March 9, which included his 100th pro goal, 100th assist and 200th point. With five games remaining, the third-year pro has already established a new career-high for goals in a season (39), ranking fifth in the NLL behind only Fields, Byrne, San Diego’s Austin Staats and New York’s Jeff Teat.