The Rochester Knighthawks (3-9) fell into a 5-0 hole in the opening quarter and were never able to recover as they came up short in a 9-6 loss to the Saskatchewan Rush (4-9) in the first-ever meeting between the two teams Saturday at SaskTel Centre.
SCORING SUMMARY | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | FINAL |
Rochester | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | 6 |
Saskatchewan | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 9 |
Knighthawks rookie forward Ryan Smith (3+0) produced his eighth multi-goal game of the season with his fifth hat trick, while forwards Curtis Knight (0+2), Holden Cattoni (1+2) and Turner Evans (1+1) all turned in multi-point performances. Rookie forward Charlie Bertrand (1+0) continued to add to his season goal total with a tally on the night.
WATCH: GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Netminder Joel Watson (0-2) made his second straight start in the crease for Rochester, facing the loss and stopping 44 shots along the way.
Holden Cattoni: dangerous from a distance. pic.twitter.com/PcJgVzdnFf
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) March 20, 2022
Rush forward Ryan Keenan (5+1) fueled the offense with a five-goal effort, while forward Mark Matthews (0+4) produced four assists. Forwards Josh Currier (1+1) and Marshall Powless (1+1) both had two-point nights with a goal and an assist apiece, while defensemen Matt Beers (1+0) and Jeff Cornwall (1+0) both tallied a goal.
Goaltender Eric Penney (3-2) made his seventh appearance in net for the Rush, stopping 38 of the 44 shots he faced in net to help propel him to his third win of the campaign.
After a five-goal first quarter for the Rush, the Knighthawks began their comeback 35 seconds into the second frame with three-straight goals.
From inside the offensive zone, Evans sent a shot through traffic for Rochester’s first goal of the contest. Three minutes later, Smith followed up with a power-play marker before Bertrand turned in his 10th goal of the season at the 4:37 mark.
Things we love to see: pic.twitter.com/NYQUdIDW3X
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) March 20, 2022
Saskatchewan then rounded out the second quarter with back-to-back goals from Keenan to set the score at 7-3 in its favor headed into the half.
It took 7:18 to pass on the game clock before either side saw a ball in the back of the net when the second half ensued. Smith knocked in his second goal of the night, this time at full strength, before Keenan posted his fourth goal of the evening for the Rush before the quarter’s end.
Heading into the final frame down 8-4, the Knighthawks outscored the Rush in the final frame 2-1.
Charlie Bertrand with a 🚀 pic.twitter.com/KMYmZzkfwt
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) March 20, 2022
Just 2:01 into the fourth quarter, Cattoni netted his first and only goal of the night for his team-leading 24th on the season, but Keenan added his fourth of the night on the power-play with 4:08 to play to put the Rush up 9-5.
Smith completed the hat trick in the final minutes of the contest, but the Knighthawks would ultimately drop their fifth straight on the road.
Rochester returns home on Saturday, March 26 to close out their season series against the Philadelphia Wings at Segar and Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena. Game time is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Bull 107.3 FM as well as ESPN+. Fans can stay up to date all season long with the latest news, stories and notes at www.rochesterknighthawks.com.