TONIGHT’S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Knighthawks (6-10) play their first of two games during a crucial all-or-nothing weekend tonight while looking to keep their playoff hopes alive as they close out their season series against the playoff bound Georgia Swarm (10-7) at Gas South Arena. Game time is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start and will be carried live on Big 107.3 FM as well as ESPN+.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Rochester remains on the outside looking in as one of five teams contending for the final two playoff spots entering the final weekend of the 2023-24 regular season. The Knighthawks, despite being winless in their last four games, can still potentially clinch a playoff berth this weekend with a pair of wins over Georgia and Philadelphia along with a Vancouver loss at San Diego, a New York loss against Albany and a Saskatchewan loss to Toronto. The Swarm, meanwhile, are among the most recent teams to punch their ticket to the postseason party by virtue of a 13-9 win over Las Vegas, reaching the 10-win mark for the fourth time in franchise history and qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 2019.
SEASON SERIES SNAPSHOT
The Knighthawks come into the matchup looking to avoid another heartbreaking loss at the hands of the Swarm, who came away with a 14-12 win in the previous matchup between the two teams earlier this season on Feb. 10. Trailing 7-4 at the half, Rochester roared back in the second half highlighted by two separate three-goal runs only to see Georgia pull away in the final 25 seconds to escape with the win. Hat tricks from Ryan Smith and Thomas McConvey fueled the second-half push for the Knighthawks, who rallied back from several multi-goal deficits to tie the contest at 12-12 before Andrew Kew scored the tiebreaker with 25 seconds remaining. In addition to Smith and McConvey’s three-goal nights, Austin Hasen and Ryan Lanchbury each netted a pair of goals, while Connor Fields and Kyle Waters also found the back of the net. Lanchbury finished with seven points (2+5) in his first game against his former team and Fields led the way in helpers with eight assists. Prior to the loss, however, the Knighthawks won three straight over the Swarm after earning the season sweep in 2022-23, including back-to-back wins in Georgia over that span. Rochester scored 47 goals in the three wins over the Swarm, the most against an opponent in a three-game span, including a franchise-best 19 goals in the 19-18 win back on March 12 of last season. With 37 combined goals, it was the highest scoring game in the NLL last season. Rochester’s three-game win streak against Georgia, which conversely claimed the first three meetings between the two teams, is also the longest in franchise history against any single opponent.
LAST TIME OUT
The Knighthawks went on a four-goal run to start the second half, but a dominant opening 30 minutes from the top-ranked Toronto Rock was ultimately too much to overcome in what became a 13-6 loss last Saturday at FirstOntario Centre. Rylan Hartley spent the bulk of the game in goal for Rochester, seeing an admirable return to the crease with a 23-save performance, surrendering just three goals. Riley Hutchcraft made 28 saves through 28 minutes of work against his former team while Nick Rose played all 60 minutes for Toronto, turning away 44 of 50 Knighthawks shots to pick up his league-leading 14th win of the season. Connor Fields got the first goal for Rochester and finished with a three-point game (1+2). Ryan Smith (1+1) and Kyle Waters (1+1) each converted, while secondary scoring was provided by Dan Lomas, Ethan O’ Connor, and Brad Gillies.
BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Tonight’s matchup will certainly be one of mixed emotions for Knighthawks forward Ryan Lanchbury, who makes his first trip back to Georgia since being acquired by Rochester back in December. Lanchbury spent his rookie season with the Swarm in 2022-23 after being drafted second overall by Georgia in the 2021 NLL Entry Draft. In 10 games, he scored six goals and 10 assists while also adding 32 loose ball recoveries. In 15 games with the Knighthawks following the Week 2 trade, Lanchbury has far surpassed his previous career-highs in all offensive categories while cementing himself as an elite offensive threat for Rochester. Lanchbury, who hasn’t recorded less than two points per game since coming over to Rochester, has vaulted into third on the team in scoring with 76 points (20+56), including setting the single-game franchise record with 12 assists in the 18-12 win over Albany on March 9. Averaging five points per game, the Burlington, Ontario, native is projected to finish the season with 85 points.
SHOOTING GALLERY
Despite being held to less than 10 goals in each of their last four games, the Knighthawks still rank fifth in the NLL in goals per game with 11.94 though playing one fewer game than the rest of the league. Additionally, the Knighthawks are fourth in the NLL in total shots-for (1,307) but continue to pace the league in average shots per game (81.69). The only team averaging more than 80 shots per game, Rochester has outshot the opposition in 12 of its first 16 games this season, including all but two on the road. 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 4-8 this season when outshooting the opponent.
POST TAKES CENTER STAGE AGAIN
Canandaigua native Joe Post has been nearly unbeatable at the center dot this season, winning 249-of 425 face-off attempts for a 58.6% success rate that ranks fifth-best in the league. His 249 wins, which as of last week are a new single-season franchise record, also rank fifth in the NLL while his 137 loose ball recoveries are 12th-most. Post’s 26 face-off wins against Panther City back on March 3 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 312-of-556 career face-off attempts, good for a 56.1% efficiency rate. For the third straight week, Post goes up against arguably of the NLL’s top face-off specialists in the form of Georgia’s Jeremy Thompson. The 12-year veteran and two-time NLL champion, who’s in his second season with the Swarm, ranks eighth in the league with 169 face-off wins. Since breaking into the league with Buffalo in 2012, Thompson, who appeared in his 200th pro game against Las Vegas back on April 6, has 2,385 face-off wins to his credit and has recovered more than 1,780 loose balls. A two-time All-American at Syracuse University, Thompson has recorded seven seasons with more than 200 face-off wins, including six straight between 2014 and 2019 as a member of the Saskatchewan Rush. The eldest of the infamous Thompson brothers, he won a career-high 279 face-offs during the 2016 campaign before leading the Rush to their first of two NLL championships that year. He won his second NLL title with the Rush in 2018 before being acquired by Georgia, reuniting him with younger brothers Miles and Lyle as teammates with the Swarm.
FIELDS HITS CENTURY MARK AGAIN
A year after becoming just the third American-born player in league history to record 100 points in a season, Knighthawks forward Connor Fields has showed no signs of slowing down. On the strength of a four-point effort two weeks ago against New York, Fields successfully surpassed the 100-point mark for the second straight year, joining Philadelphia’s 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 consecutive seasons. More impressively, Fields is closing in on back-to-back campaigns with at least 50 goals and 50 assists and recently became the only player in league history to record more than 100 points and 140 loose ball recoveries in back-to-back seasons. In addition to leading the Knighthawks in goals (45), assists (59) and points (104), Fields continues to pace all NLL forwards in loose balls (146) and shot (236). Coming into the final weekend as one of only seven players with 100 points on the season, Fields needs just eight more points to tie his previous career-high, making him a viable candidate for this year’s Most Valuable Player.
SCOUTING THE SWARM
The Swarm, who are postseason bound for the first time since 2019, close out the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the league. On the heels of a 13-9 win over Las Vegas prior to the bye week, Georgia has won four of its last five games with its only setback in that span coming by way of a 13-8 loss to Philadelphia, Rochester’s opponent in Sunday’s season finale. As has been the case all season, the Swarm’s balanced offense continues to be led all by the high scoring trio of Lyle Thompson, Shayne Jackson, and Andrew Kew, who have combined for 102 goals and 242 points while helping Georgia reach the 10-win mark for the fourth time in franchise history. Thompson, a former NLL champion and league MVP, is tied for 10th in the league with 40 goals while leading the team with 82 points. Brett Dobson, the first goaltender taken in the 2022 NLL Entry Draft, enters the weekend tied for third amongst all netminder in wins (10) and is 10th in saves (611). The St. Bonaventure grad was named a finalist for the 2023 NLL Rookie of the Year Award last season and was selected to the All-Rookie Team.
