(Rochester, NY)… The Rochester Knighthawks fell to the Vancouver Warriors 16-6 in the first of two matchups between the two teams. The two clubs will meet next Saturday in Vancouver.
“I just don’t think that was who we are,” Knighthawks captain Dan Coates said. “Kind of lost our identity. Obviously, things happened, and we just kind of unraveled… I think we let things that were out of our control dictate how it went.”
Vancouver broke the game open on special teams, scoring five times on 10 chances. After Rochester took a 1-0 lead, the Warriors responded with three power-play tallies to move in front 3-1. Two of those came after Rylan Hartley left the game after being assessed a match penalty. The Knighthawks got back within one late in the second, but Vancouver scored 12 of the game’s next 14 goals to put the game away.
“I think we just need to take a quick breath, get our feet grounded, and just dig in and get going through it,” Hasen said. “We didn’t… defensively, we were on the floor for a good chunk of time there, and from there we were just emotionally drained and physically drained, and we were chasing the game for the rest of the night.”
Ryan Lanchbury and Connor Fields powered the Knighthawks, each with a goal and three assists. Ryan Smith led Rochester in goals with two and scooped up nine loose balls. Riley Hutchcraft played 51 minutes and made 28 saves.
Things started well for Rochester, which scored first as Smith caught a feed from Lanchbury on the crease and found a slot over Christian Del Bianco’s right shoulder. In the second quarter, they continued the fight as Lanchbury scored with 30 seconds left in the first. That offensive momentum carried over to Thomas McConvey with a quick stick finish on the back door, and Williams hit a jump shot rebound goal to bring Rochester within three.
Vancouver started the second half with a seven-goal run led by Keegan Bal, who had a goal and four assists during that stretch. The Warriors led 15-4 after three. Rochester got the better of Vancouver in the final 15 minutes, but the 2-1 margin wasn’t enough to make it a battle.
“We just kind of let it get away from us, and that’s unacceptable, and we know that,” Smith said. “So, we’ll put on our steel toes and get back to work Tuesday.”
The Knighthawks and Warriors will see each other again on Saturday, Feb. 7, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Faceoff is set for 10 p.m. EST.

