(Rochester, NY)… The Rochester Knighthawks return home to finish their home-and-home series with the Las Vegas Desert Dogs on Saturday, March 21, at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7 p.m. game falls on C.U.R.E. Cancer & Segar Hat Night. The first 2,000 fans will receive a Knighthawks trucker hat, courtesy of Segar & Sciortino.
Both teams enter the contest with 5-7 records after the Desert Dogs got the best of the Knighthawks, 17-10, at Lee’s Family Forum last Sunday. With both teams having six games left this season, the squads sit just outside a playoff spot at ninth and 10th in the league standings, respectively.
Jersey Auction
The Knighthawks will wear special gold-and-black jerseys in support of pediatric cancer patients and their families. Fans will have the opportunity to bid on the jerseys in an online auction on DASH, with proceeds supporting C.U.R.E. Childhood Cancer Association. To access the auction, fans can visit www.rochesterknighthawks.com/auction or text “DASH” to 66866, click on the download link, and install DASH on your mobile device. Fans can then create their own personal profile and select the Knighthawks as their favorite team to start bidding. The auction opens at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18, and will accept bids through 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 22. Winners will then be contacted directly.
Postgame Party
Fans can head to Hooligans Eastside Grill (809 Ridge Rd., Webster) for the team’s official postgame party, courtesy of Bud Light. The event features Knighthawks players, food and drink specials, and opportunities to win Knighthawks prizes and autographed items.
Last Time Out
The Knighthawks traveled to Las Vegas last week for their first matchup with the Desert Dogs. Rochester went down 5-1 early in the first quarter and couldn’t find their footing after that. Blaze Riorden and Zed Williams did what they could in the third quarter, making a quick three-goal run that cut the deficit down to four, but Rochester couldn’t get any closer. The Knighthawks were led in scoring by Connor Fields with a goal and seven assists.
Williams led the team in goals (four) and loose-ball recoveries (11). Ryan Lanchbury and Ryan Smith each tallied a goal and four assists. Nathan Kapp got the start at the faceoff dot and put in the best performance of his young NLL career, going 22/31 on the night, along with nine loose-ball recoveries. Riley Hutchcraft came in for Rylan Hartley during the first quarter and made 26 saves in 46 minutes.
New Faces
Some new faces in Rochester are still settling in after finally having a full week with their new team. Before the trade deadline, Rochester sent its 2027 second-round pick to Philadelphia for Fairport, NY, native Blaze Riorden. The next day, the team announced the hiring of Interim Head Coach Randy Mearns. Riorden has already shown he can make an impact on the floor, bagging two goals in the third quarter against Las Vegas in his Knighthawks debut. He will also look to have an impact off the floor as a vocal leader in the locker room. Along with having been a two-year captain of the Wings, he captained the USA men’s box team to a silver medal finish in 2024. He was also fourth on the team in points with 10 goals and eight assists.
Mearns joins the Knighthawks with a wealth of coaching knowledge, having spent 26 years as a college head coach at the Division I level. He has coached multiple collegiate players to become first-round NLL draft picks, including Knighthawks captain Dan Coates, Knighthawks President and General Manager Dan Carey, Buffalo Bandits goaltender Matt Vinc, and Georgia Swarm goaltender Brett Dobson, just to name a few. Now with one game under his belt, he will look to secure his first NLL win.
Two Teams Tied Together
The Knighthawks and the Desert Dogs are two teams that have been connected since Las Vegas got an expansion team. On July 7, 2022, the trade that would establish the Knighthawks’ new era came to fruition. On that day, the Knighthawks sent Charlie Bertrand, Joel Watson, and the second overall pick to the Desert Dogs in exchange for Connor Fields, Riley Hutchcraft, and the first overall pick (which the Knighthawks used to select Thomas McConvey). The Knighthawks’ left-handed offense would be nowhere near what it is today if it weren’t for the Las Vegas Desert Dogs and the watchful eye of Carey.
Scouting the Desert Dogs
Las Vegas enters the second part of the matchup at 5-7, looking to make a playoff push as they come to Rochester. They made some offseason free agency moves last summer on the offensive end, acquiring Mitch Jones, Chase Fraser, and Chris Cloutier. Jones currently leads the team in points through 11 games with 23 goals and 40 assists. He’s joined by Jonathan Donville (15+47) and Cloutier (22+29) as the leading three scorers.
Defensively, it is a unit in transition, full of horses. Adam Poitras and Connor Kirst exemplify the Las Vegas transition game. Two offensive guys in the field game that have learned defensive assignments in the box game and have the green light to shoot when they drive up the field. Last week, they combined for five points and five caused turnovers. In goal, Landon Kells has played a majority of the season, but Alex Buque got the start last week against Rochester. He made 44 saves for an .815 save percentage.
Next Game
The Knighthawks will take their second-shortest road trip of the year as they travel to Oshawa to take on the FireWolves on Saturday, March 28. We’re set for a 7 p.m. start at the Tribute Communities Centre.
Knighthawks Milestones
• Ian Llord needs two loose-ball recoveries to reach 900 in his career.
• Dan Coates needs one loose-ball recovery to reach 800 in his career.
• Thomas McConvey is four assists away from the century mark.
• Randy Mearns is in search of his first win behind an NLL Bench.