Brad Gillies completed his second career hat trick on a breakaway with 58 seconds remaining in overtime to cap a thrilling 11-10 win for the Rochester Knighthawks (8-2) over the New York Riptide in what was the second-longest game in National Lacrosse League Saturday at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena.
With the win, the Knighthawks, who remain unbeaten inside The Blue Cross Arena this season (5-0), swept the two-game series with New York to move into a three-way tie for first place in the NLL’s Eastern Conference standings.
Along with Gillies’ (3+0) multi-goal game, Connor Fields (3+2) and Ryan Smith (1+4) each totaled five points in the win. Curtis Knight (0+3) and Holden Cattoni (1+1) each registered multi-point efforts while Paul Dawson, Thomas Hoggarth and Ryland Rees all scored once. Thomas Vela, Matt Bennett, and Matt Gilray each recorded an assist.
Goaltender Rylan Hartley (8-2) earned his eighth win of the season as he made his 10th consecutive appearance. The netminder finished with 44 saves, which included 11 in overtime.
Tonight’s win was the 95th career win for Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. He remains on pace to become just the sixth coach all-time in league history to reach 100 career coaching victories.
Much like he has majority of the season, Jeff Teat (4+1) carried the offense for the Riptide while Reilly O’Connor (1+3), Kevin Brownell (3+0), Tyler Digby (1+2), Ron John (1+1) and Connor Kearnan (0+2) all registered a multi-point game. Jack Kelly, Damon Edwards, and Scott Dominey each turned in an assist.
Goaltender Steve Orleman (2-7) finished with 52 saves, including doubled digits in four of the five periods.
With the score tied at 10 after 60 minutes of regulation and four-goal runs by each team, the game required overtime.
BRAD GILLIES WITH THE HATTY AND THE OT WINNER!
IT DOESN’T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THAT! pic.twitter.com/iQQCz9KA7I
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) February 26, 2023
The teams traded chances in the extra period for the first 14 minutes, which featured several grade-A scoring opportunities and timely saves from each netminder before Gillies scooped up a loose ball in the defensive zone. The veteran defenseman sprinted down the field towards the Riptide cage before beating Orleman for the game-winning goal with 58 seconds left.
Teat, the NLL’s reigning Rookie of the Year who’s coming off a six-goal outing last week, didn’t take long to find the scoresheet as he set the tone early with back-to-back goals to stake the Riptide to a 2-0 lead.
Teat opened the scoring just 30 seconds after the opening face-off with a shot that snuck inside the left post for his league-leading 35th goal of the season.
He doubled the lead at 9:17 of the first quarter when a rebound caromed off the end boards and out to the perimeter. Teat scooped it up, and catching the Knighthawks defense off guard, threw a seemingly innocent long range shot on net that skipped past Hartley before the shot clock expired.
Rochester responded with consecutive goals of its own to even the game at 2-2, beginning with a power-play tally from Smith just 15 seconds into the team’s first power-play of the night. The goal by Smith at 8:00 was his 20th of the season and team-leading seventh on the man-advantage.
With Smith’s goal, the Knighthawks have now scored on the power-play in each of their last nine games.
Just another casual hat trick for Connor Fields. pic.twitter.com/nEyyedNvJd
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) February 26, 2023
Rees followed up with his fourth of the season from Hoggarth and Bennett at 4:23, but back-to-back unassisted goals from Brownell in transition would restore New York’s two-goal cushion entering the second quarter.
Much like they did in the first, the Knighthawks answered back again with Fields and Gillies scoring 24 seconds apart. Gillies’ fourth of the year came in transition after the defenseman intercepted an errant pass before sprinting the length of the floor and beating Orleman to make it 4-4.
Brownell completed the natural hat trick at 5:47 followed by Teat at 4:49, but Fields would add his second of the quarter and 30th of the season to keep the Knighthawks within a goal.
Trailing 6-5 with nine seconds remaining in the half, the Knighthawks were granted their second power-play opportunity of the game after Edwards was whistled for holding Turner Evans. Electing to keep Hartley on the bench in favor of the extra attacker, the decision ultimately paid off as Cattoni converted off a set-up from Fields and Smith to send the intrastate rivals into the break tied at 6-6.
After trailing and rallying for the entire first half, the Knighthawks opened the second half on a four-goal run while outscoring the Riptide 3-0 in the third quarter. Rochester took its first lead of the night 3:35 into the third quarter as Fields completed the hat trick to put the Knighthawks on top, 7-6.
Fields unleashed a high-rising shot from just inside the restraining line that eluded Orleman and sailed over the right shoulder of the Riptide netminder before finding the upper corner.
With the help of Smith and Vela, Fields has recorded a hat trick in eight of his last nine games.
Dawson put the Knighthawks up by a pair after scoring his first of the season in transition off a spectacular individual effort before Gillies netted his second of the contest with 65 seconds remaining in the frame.
Paul Dawson scoops up the ball and doesn’t look back 👀 pic.twitter.com/tHoxSClJYt
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) February 26, 2023
Hoggarth gave Rochester its largest of the night 1:21 into the final frame, however, New York slowly chipped into the deficit with a four-goal run of its own before tying the game in the final minute of regulation and forcing overtime.
It was a goaltending duel for the first 14 minutes until Gillies completed the hat trick in the final minute to seal the 11-10 win for Rochester.
Second longest game in NLL history 🤯 https://t.co/rubaTKjhCr
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) February 26, 2023
The Knighthawks hit the road for a pair of contests beginning on Friday, Mar. 4 at FirstOntario Centre against the red-hot Toronto Rock. The 7:00 p.m. matchup will be the second of two scheduled meetings between the two rivals this season and will be carried live on Big 107.3 FM as well as ESPN+.
