TONIGHT’S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Knighthawks (6-8) open the final month of the 2023-24 regular season tonight looking to get back in the win column as they host the intrastate rival New York Riptide (7-8) for the only time this season 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+.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Tonight’s matchup has massive playoff implications for perhaps two of the streakiest teams in the NLL this season. With four games remaining, Rochester enters the month of April on the outside looking in, sitting one game back of New York for the eighth and final playoff spot in the league’s unified standings. Joining the Knighthawks in the logjam for the last playoff spot is Saskatchewan and Calgary, both of whom sport identical 6-8 records, but Rochester has scored more goals than both teams coming into this weekend. The Albany FireWolves, a team the Knighthawks defeated in back-to-back weeks last month, recently joined league-leading Toronto and San Diego as the only three teams to officially punch their ticket to the postseason party.
SEASON SERIES SNAPSHOT
The Knighthawks and Riptide have been two of the streakiest teams in the league this season, so it’s only fitting that the lone meeting between the two teams comes with a great deal on the line and major implications on the overall playoff race. After opening the season with three straight wins for the second straight year, Rochester dropped six in a row before bouncing back with another three-game win streak. Since then, the Knighthawks have suffered back-to-back losses to fall below the .500 line. Three of Rochester’s four remaining games are against teams currently in the playoff picture, including New York, Toronto and Georgia. The Riptide, too, have endured a streaky season of their own, losing their first three outings before winning four straight and dropping three in a row once again. Rochester maintains a 4-2 record all-time against New York after earning the season sweep last season, including an 11-10 overtime win in the previous matchup between the two teams back on Feb. 25. Led by leading point-getter Jeff Teat, the Riptide return to Rochester with the top power-play in the league, converting on 31 of 48 opportunities for an NLL-best 64.6% success rate.
The @RocKnighthawks made the following roster moves ahead of tonight's game against New York:
-Activated G Rylan Hartley off IR
-Activated F Austin Hasen from the Practice Squad-Assigned G Riley Hutchcraft to IR
-Assigned D Ben Macdonnell to Practice Squad— Knighthawks PR (@KnighthawksPR) April 6, 2024
LAST TIME OUT
The Knighthawks were held to just three goals in the second half as they dropped a 12-9 decision to the Halifax Thunderbirds this past Saturday at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena. With the defeat, Rochester, which has dropped four of its last five at home, shows a 1-6 record in the seven games all-time against Halifax. Ryan Smith (2+3), Connor Fields (2+2), and Thomas McConvey (2+0) all registered a two-goal outing for the Knighthawks while Ryan Lanchbury finished with four points (1+3) and tied Smith with a team-high three assists. Curtis Knight (1+2) and Turner Evans (1+1) both scored one goal each while Kyle Waters (0+1) concluded the scoring as he added an assist. Goaltender Riley Hutchcraft (6-6) faced 33 shots, making 24 saves before Doug Buchan finished the game for the final 19:30 of regulation in relief to be dealt the loss.
HOMECOMING FOR KEOGH
Stephen Keogh makes his return to Rochester after the veteran forward was traded to New York earlier this season. The 36-year-old amassed 244 points (121+123) in 80 games with the previous Knighthawks organization from 2012-2019, helping the franchise win three straight NLL championships. As a rookie, Keogh, who signed a one-year deal with the expansion-era Knighthawks in September, ranked third amongst all Rochester players as he tallied 26 goals and 32 assists for 58 points in 16 games. He later added four points (0+4) in three playoff games during Rochester’s first of three league titles. During the 2022-23 campaign, Keogh, a four-time 20-goal scorer and five-time 50-point getter, reached both marks as he recorded 26 goals and 54 points in 17 games with the Rock. He ranked fourth in all offensive categories amongst all Toronto forwards. Prior to turning pro, Keogh completed a four-year collegiate career at Syracuse University, totaling 154 points and winning back-to-back National Championships.
SHOOTING GALLERY
Despite being held to fewer than 10 goals in each of their last two games, the Knighthawks still rank second in the NLL in goals per game with 12.57 behind only Buffalo, who’s also played one more game than Rochester. Additionally, the Knighthawks are sixth in the NLL in total shots-for (1,148) but continue to pace the league in average shots per game (82.00). The only team averaging more than 80 shots per game, Rochester has outshot the opposition in 11 of its first 14 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 4-7 this season when outshooting the opponent and 5-7 when finishing with 50 or more shots.
POST TAKES CENTER STAGE
Canandaigua native Joe Post has been nearly unbeatable at the center dot this season, winning 226 face-offs on 376 attempts for a 60.1% success rate. His 226 wins, which as of last week are a new single-season franchise record, rank fifth in the NLL while his 125 loose ball recoveries are also 10th-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 289-of-507 career face-off attempts, good for a 57.0% 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 84 goals and 183 points through Rochester’s first 14 games, making them the second-best point-producing twosome in the league behind only Buffalo’s Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith (221), who recently became the only two teammates in the NLL to crack the 100-point mark in the same season. Fields and Smith, meanwhile, remain 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 (43), assists (54) and points (97), Fields continues to pace all NLL forwards with 131 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 125 points, making him a viable candidate for this year’s Most Valuable Player. Fields, who’s also ninth in the NLL with a team-best nine power-play tallies, needs just three 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. He will also become just the fourth player this season to record 100 points, joining the likes of Josh Byrne, Dhane Smith, and Jeff Teat. 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 four games remaining, the third-year pro has already established a new career-high for goals in a season (41), ranking fourth in the NLL behind only Teat, Byrne and Fields.
SCOUTING THE RIPTIDE
As has been the case since breaking into the league as New York’s first overall selection in the 2020 NLL Entry Draft, all eyes have been on Teat, who currently leads the league with 47 goals and ranks third in overall scoring with 108 points. Teat, who’s averaged more than seven points per game in his pro career, has topped the 100-point mark in three straight seasons and remains on pace of besting his 136-point from a year ago. The high scoring forward took his first season in the NLL by storm, finishing with 108 points on 37 goals and 71 assists in 16 games, earning him Rookie of the Year honors for the 2021-22 season. Teat finished fourth overall in the NLL in points and third in assists, while leading all rookies in goals, assists, points and power-play assists. He also broke the single-season NLL rookie records for points and assists and became the first rookie in league history to score 100 points in a season. Additionally, Teat was named an All-League Second Team and All-Rookie Team selection.
