The Rochester Knighthawks got back to their winning ways this past weekend with their first-ever win in franchise history over the Halifax Thunderbirds. Week 12 of National Lacrosse League action consisted of many milestones, a big win heading into the Knighthawks second bye week of the 2022-23 campaign and the team remaining unbeaten at home.
We take a look it all, and more, with Knighthawks general manager Dan Carey in this week’s edition of Hawk Talk.
VELA WITH A BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
This past Saturday was just rookie forward Thomas Vela’s second game in his pro career and he hit the ground running with his first two professional goals.
ROCHESTER, New York, USA – FEBRUARY 11: Rochester Knighthawks v Halifax Thunderbirds February 11, 2023 in Rochester, New York, USA. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu/ Rochester Knighthawks)
“I thought he did a great job,” said Carey when asked how Vela settled within the Knighthawks’ offense against Halifax.
Along with it being Vela’s second game, this past week was the first that Rochester head coach Mike Hasen decided to dress eight offensive players, rather than seven. That decision inevitably opened up the door of opportunity for Vela to make an impact in a critically important game.
“Coach Hasen and the staff decided it was a good decision to bring him in and give him another opportunity,” said Carey, “so he started off well and I think he showed what we’ve seen in him. He works really hard and is a very skilled player and great teammate, so it was really great to see him have the success that he had in his second game.”
LITTLE THINGS PLAYING A BIG ROLE
Going into the game against Halifax, the Knighthawks were amid a two-game skid, meaning Saturday was all about getting back on track, or as Carey says, getting back to the process and the little things that the Knighthawks started off the season with.
Those little things played a major role in the final minutes on Saturday when Halifax went on a late five-goal run.
“The final minutes were a little nerve racking for everybody,” laughed Carey when asked about the team dialing to remain perfect at home.
Fields ➡️ Smith ➡️ IN
(obviously!!) pic.twitter.com/7UWESclapJ— NLL (@NLL) February 12, 2023
Knighthawks forwards Connor Fields and Holden Cattoni combined for 15 points as the Rochester survived the late fourth-quarter push by the Thunderbirds to hold on to the 16-14 win Saturday night at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena. By getting back in the win column, the Knighthawks split the two-game series with Halifax.
Getting back to the process was exactly what the Knighthawks did as they snapped their two-game skid with their first win in franchise history over the Thunderbirds.
“Overall, the big picture of that game was that we did get back to the process and what had made us successful early on and that was something that Coach Hasen and our leadership group and everybody had been saying throughout the week was to get back to what has made us successful and continue to do the little things and to put the work in.”
Holden Cattoni snags the ball and buries it! pic.twitter.com/ZYn4eQhQle
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) February 12, 2023
Carey then finished with, “So, I thought our guys worked extremely hard and they were ready for that game.”
HEADING INTO THE BYE WEEK WITH A WIN
As the NLL heads into Week 12 of play, the Knighthawks have their second bye week of the season. Perfect timing considering Rochester is officially halfway through the 2022-23 campaign.
“Getting a win before a bye week is always helpful. It’s just the mindset,” explained Carey when asked how much of a momentum shifter a win can be before a bye. “As much as you want to focus on the process, it does kind of come into play as far as the previous weekend and how things ended up and what the results were.”
Ryan Smith opens scoring 👀 pic.twitter.com/SOIowJrYkJ
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) February 12, 2023
The Knighthawks are currently in a three-way tie for first place in the Eastern Conference with the Buffalo Bandits and Toronto Rock. This bye week gives the Knighthawks a little bit of an opportunity to take a step back, relax and look at the work that’s left ahead of them to make their first postseason push in new-era history.
“We’re only halfway through the season and it’s been a good start, but we know it’s going to be very tough what is ahead of us. So, this is a good time for us to be able to kind of take a step back, look at where we’re at and really focus on the next step and the next game.”
Saturday, February 25th is about more than just lacrosse 💚
Join us for our C.U.R.E. Cancer Knight, presented by @curekidscancer_.
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) February 13, 2023
Following the bye week this week, the Knighthawks resume their 2022-23 campaign on Saturday, Feb. 25 when they host the New York Riptide at 7 p.m. at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena. The matchup will be the second and final meeting between the intrastate rivals this season and will be carried live on Big 107.3 FM as well as ESPN+.
