The Rochester Knighthawks announced today the team will host Native American Heritage Night, presented by Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, in conjunction with Marvel Super Hero™️ Night on Friday, Feb. 28 when they host the Albany FireWolves at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena.
“The Knighthawks organization is excited and honored to once again celebrate Native American Heritage Night this season,” said Knighthawks Vice President of Business Operations Chad Buck. “The initiative is one that we’re grateful for the opportunity to support each year and aid in bringing essential awareness to on a global level.”
Now in its fourth year, the night will celebrate and support Native American Nations in addition to honoring their history in the region. The game itself will feature various content, activations, ticket promotions and merchandise themed around Native American Heritage and the vital role Indigenous peoples have played in the history of lacrosse, often referred to as the “Creator’s game.”
American Legion Iroquois Post 1587 will present the flags while Seneca Nation of Indians Tribal Councilor Christian Reiller will be on hand to perform the ceremonial face-off. The game will also feature performances from Dëdwa:d, a family dance crew rooted in the rich traditions of the Haudenosaunee.
Limited edition T-shirts, in both men’s and women’s sizes, featuring a commemorative logo designed by Native American artist Cara Dry will be available for purchase in the Knighthawks Team store. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each shirt will benefit the Newtown and Allegany Arrows Minor Lacrosse Associations.
The special-edition logo, which embodies her Native American roots, depicts a traditional wooden lacrosse stick made of bent hickory consisting with a pocket of woven rawhide. A deerskin ball, portraying the Iroquois’ longstanding influence on the origins of lacrosse, sits inside the pocket. The feathers adorning the Gustoweh “Real Hat” are that of a hawk, representing the Knighthawks organization. The Haudenosaunee people have six different gustowehs that represent their six nations. This particular gustoweh with one feather upright represents The Seneca Nation.
The Knighthawks will also be giving away a handmade Knighthawks Medallion created by Seneca bead artist Jacky Snyder during the game. Fans can visit www.rochesterknighthawks.com/medallion to enter for a chance to win the medallion now through 10 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28.
A proud member of the Seneca Nation of Indians Turtle Clan, Snyder has been an accomplished bead artist since the age of 13 and has served as an educator of the Seneca language for the last 20 years.
As part of Marvel Super Hero™️ Night, the Knighthawks will wear specialty Black-Widow themed jerseys developed and inspired by award-winning Indigenous artist, Jeffrey Veregge, who passed away last April at the age of 50.
A native of Litte Boston, Washington, Veregge was a member of Port Gamble Band of S’Klallam of Native Americans. Veregge, who was widely known for developing his own artistic style of blending traditional Coast Salish aesthetics and pop culture into what he called “Salish Greek”, soon caught the eye of comic book enthusiasts after transforming mainstream superheroes into masterful works of art.
Soon thereafter, Veregge, who attended The Art Institute of Seattle, began work for Marvel Comics, playing an integral role in the re-launch of Red Wolf, a popular native American superhero. In 2020, Veregge, with the help of a team of Indigenous artists and illustrators, oversaw the development of a series of variant covers featuring his interpretations of various Marvel characters that were later published by Marvel, including Spider-Man and Thor as well as Native superhero, Dani Moonstar.
To honor Veregge’s legacy along with his unique and irreplaceable contributions celebrating Indigenous culture, the NLL and Marvel adopted his iconic cover designs for Marvel’s Legends of Lax this season, an initiative which will be celebrated by all 14 member teams.
The one-of-a-kind jerseys will be auctioned off on DASH, a sport-focused online auction platform and partner of the Knighthawks, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting an organization at the choosing of Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino.
To access the auction, fans can visit www.rochesterknighthawks.com/auction or text “DASH” to 66866, click on the download link and install DASH on your mobile device. Fans can then create their own personal profile and select the Knighthawks as their favorite team to start bidding. The auction is currently underway and will accept bids through 10:00 p.m. the night of the game on Friday, Feb. 28. Winners will be contacted directly.
Additionally, the first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive a Legends of Lax Marvel comic book, featuring some of the Knighthawks players.
Following the game, fans are invited to head to Hooligan’s Eastside grill, located at 890 Ridge Road in Webster, for the official Postgame Party, presented by Bud Light. Select players will be on hand while fans can enjoy food and drink specials and enter in for the chance to win Knighthawks prizes and other autographed items.
All Knighthawks single-game tickets can be purchased at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office, online at www.rochesterknighthawks.com or by phone by calling 585-454-5335. Season Tickets for the Knighthawks for the 2024-25 season are on sale now and start as low as $19 per seat per game depending on seating location. More information on Knighthawks season tickets can be found at www.rochesterknighthawks.com/memberships.
