(Rochester, NY)… The Rochester Knighthawks have been showing out this summer, and last week was no different. There are 18 Knighthawks playing in the following leagues: the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL), Major Series Lacrosse (MSL), the Can-Am Lacrosse League (CALL), and the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL).
MSL:
Smith scoring on July 7(credit/Jacqueline Peterson)
Knighthawks standoffs have been happening all over the MSL this summer. Last week might have been the most Rochester players we’ve seen on the floor at once since April 19 at The Blue Cross Arena. On July 7, the Peterborough Lakers traveled to Six Nations to face the Chiefs in a matchup that featured six Knighthawks. Ryan Smith and Tyler Biles for the Chiefs against Ryan Lanchbury, Matt Gilray, Brad McCulley, and Adam Thistlethwaite.
The Lakers held strong in the first period, ending the first 20 minutes tied at two. At one point in the second, they held a 4-3 lead, but then something snapped in the Chiefs. In the final 35 minutes, they outscored the Lakers 7-1. That lone goal was scored by Ryan Lanchbury, dodging on Tyler Biles. Ryan Smith bookended the game, scoring the first and last goals.
Lanchbury scoring on Biles on July 7(credit/Chamberlain Bauder)
Two days later, Smith and Biles traveled to Brampton to take on Thomas McConvey, Riley Hutchcraft, and the Excelsiors. McConvey did his best, orchestrating the offense, ending with a goal and five assists, but he couldn’t match the Six Nations firepower on his own. The Chiefs continued their undefeated season with a 16-8 win.
PLL:
The Utah Archers were the first team with rostered Knighthawks to take the field over the weekend in the PLL. Connor Fields showed exactly why he should’ve been at the All-Star Game a week earlier. He scored four goals in the first half and helped Utah cruise to a 16-5 win. Mitchell Dunham was a big part of that as well, causing one turnover and scooping up three ground balls on the defensive side.
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Then it was a battle of collegiate and professional teammates as Jake Piseno and the Outlaws took on Graydon Hogg and the Cannons. They each tallied two points; Hogg scored twice while Piseno notched a two-point goal. The Cannons got the final leg up, though, winning 15-13. That game was a major recognition game for Hogg. He is the lone Canadian on the Boston offense, and he brings a lethal pick-game to the field from the box. They couldn’t stop talking about it on the broadcast, bringing up his four pick assists for the team in San Diego to end June while he created two more on Sunday.
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Senior “B”:
The Can-Am regular season has officially come to an end. Taylor Jensen and the Tonawanda Braves finished in second place at 14-6 and earned a bye in the first round of the playoffs last weekend. Jensen finished the regular season with six goals and 12 assists in 11 games.
Zed Williams and the Allegany Arrows made quick work of Oil Springs in a three-game series on July 9 and 11. It was a 12-2 win at home and an 11-6 win on the road. Williams had two goals and four assists over those two games. He finished the regular season with 14 goals and 13 assists in six games, an average of 4.5 points per game.