The highest scoring game in the National Lacrosse League this season ended in complete devastation for the Rochester Knighthawks (2-5), who after rallying back from a four-goal deficit in the fourth quarter, including scoring the equalizer in the final minute, saw the Halifax Thunderbirds (2-4) prevail on a last-second buzzer-beater to escape with a 19-18 win Saturday at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena.
The 37 combined goals Saturday were the most in a National Lacrosse League game this season and matched a previous team record of 37 from Mar. 12, 2023. The heartbreaking loss drops the Knighthawks to 2-5 on the season heading into next Saturday’s rematch with the Thunderbirds in Halifax.
Thomas McConvey established a new career-high in points (9) as he topped all Knighthawks in both goals (4) and shots (13) while Ryan Lanchbury, the NLL’s reigning Player of the Week, finished with a season-best seven assists.
Connor Fields (3+4) logged his second hat trick of the campaign for Rochester, who is now 1-7 all-time against the Thunderbirds. Curtis Knight (2+2) and Josh Medeiros (2+0) both netted a pair of goals while Taylor Jensen (0+2) totaled two assists.
Matt Gilray (1+1), Graydon Hogg (1+0), Ryland Rees (1+0) each scored once, while Ian Llord and Mike Sisselberger had an assist. Sisselberger’s helper was his first career NLL point while Llord’s was his first of the season.
Goaltenders Riley Hutchcraft and Kevin Orleman split the contest as they combined to make 35 saves. Hutchcraft, who drew his seventh start, suffered the defeat as he made 11 of his 15 stops in the opening frame whereas Orleman finished with 20 saves in 34 minutes.
The @HFXThunderbirds take a wild shootout in Rochester 19-18! The resulting 37 goals scored made it the highest-scoring game of the season.
We know you wanted it – here’s all 37 goals🤭 pic.twitter.com/CDO5EjW9fJ
— NLL (@NLL) January 12, 2025
FIRST QUARTER
Following a few scoreless possessions to start the contest, Halifax kicked off the scoring as three different Thunderbirds beat Hutchcraft three times in a span of 3:08.
Moments after the third Halifax goal, Rochester drew the game’s first power-play as a cross-checking infraction was called. The Knighthawks used only the first 28 seconds of the man-advantage as Hogg fired in Fields’ pass from the right of the net with 6:28 left in the frame.
Halifax responded to the Hogg power-play goal as Wake:Riat Bowhunter bounced the ball off the floor to change the angle as he finished off feed from Mike Robinson and former Knighthawk forward Thomas Hoggarth.
Facing a three-goal deficit yet again, Fields scored his first of the night and 11th of the campaign from Lanchbury and Smith with just over four minutes left in the stanza.
SECOND QUARTER
Trailing 4-2 to start the quarter and then 6-2 just 99 seconds into the frame, Rochester did not panic as they erupted for three unanswered tallies to trim the score to one with 10:03 left.
McConvey, who netted 28 goals as a rookie in 2023-24, kicked off the run as he scored twice off Lanchbury’s two assists while Knight and Fields both were credited with a secondary marker.
Staats and Cody Jamieson each tallied a goal, which sandwiched Fields’ second of the night at the 8:42 mark, to push the score to 8-6.
Ryan Smith ties it at 9 with 0.5 left in the half🚨 pic.twitter.com/AjkpBY8bVL
— NLL (@NLL) January 12, 2025
Rochester again countered the two-goal deficit as Smith gathered Jensen’s pass and cut to the front of the crease. As the Robert Morris University product reached the top of the crease, he snapped a shot over the shoulder to make it a one-score contest.
After seeing Smith score, Fields completed his hat trick in the quarter, exercising patience as he spun around a Thunderbirds player before wiring a shot under the left arm of the netminder, tying the game at 8-8.
HATTY for McConvey! 🧢🧢🧢
We continue to go back and forth in ROC 👏 pic.twitter.com/gARKjIEfWS
— NLL (@NLL) January 12, 2025
As it looked like the ‘Hawks were going to trail by a goal going into the half as Hoggarth scored with 50 seconds left in the frame, head coach Mike Hasen, who remains one win shy of moving into fifth all-time in league history in wins (108), used a timeout.
Following the pause in action, Fields sprinted up the floor with just eight seconds left in the quarter. The East Amherst native quickly fed Hogg a pass before the latter gave it to Smith, who cut through the offensive zone and beat Drew Hutchison with .5 on the clock.
THIRD QUARTER
Halifax reclaimed its lead 1:54 into the third quarter on Robinson’s tally before Rochester countered back with a pair to grab its first lead of the contest by way of McConvey and Medeiros’ markers just eight seconds apart.
While the Thunderbirds evened the score at 11, McConvey and Smith made it a 13-11 lead midway through the frame.
Facing a two-goal deficit, the Thunderbirds scored twice in the final 6:42 to knot the score at 13 going into the in the final stanza.
FOURTH QUARTER
Halifax continued its run from the third into the fourth as they added five of the next six goals to secure an 18-14advantage with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
The Knighthawks slowly chipped into the deficit as Gilray and Smith both scored once before Knight tied the game with his second of the run in the final 50 seconds.
18-18, and we’re still going!
Rochester x Halifax POPPING. OFF. pic.twitter.com/xcGnWAof3v
— NLL (@NLL) January 12, 2025
As it appeared the game was headed to the sudden-death overtime, Staats and Jamieson exchanged a series of passes inside the Rochester zone. In the dying seconds, Clarke Petterson threaded a shot over the shoulder of Hutchcraft with just 0.1 showing on the clock, ultimately sealing the 19-18 win.
UP NEXT
The Knighthawks and Thunderbirds concluded the back-to-back set as the scene shifts north of the border for a rematch on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Scotiabank Centre. The matchup will be the second and final meeting between the two teams this season and will be carried live on Big 107.3 FM as well as ESPN + and NLL+.
