TONIGHT’S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Knighthawks usher in their fourth season in the National Lacrosse League tonight when they host the Calgary Roughnecks in their 2023-24 home opener at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:00 p.m. contest will be the only meeting of the season between the two teams and will be carried live on Big 107.3 FM as well as ESPN+.
SEASON SERIES SNAPSHOT
It’s been over 18 months since the unfamiliar foes last met on April 22, 2022, when the Knighthawks cruised to a 15-7 win over the Roughnecks during Calgary’s previous visit to Rochester. The win, one of only four that year for the Knighthawks, snapped an eight-game skid and improved Rochester to 2-0 all-time against the Roughnecks. The Knighthawks also captured their first win in franchise history over Calgary during their inaugural campaign in 2019-20, a year after the Roughnecks were crowned NLL champions. The Knighthawks and Roughnecks ranked among the top three teams in terms of penalty-killing last season with both having a .60% efficiency rate or better in shorthanded situations.
OPENING THE SEASON
The Knighthawks open the season on home turf for the first time since their inaugural campaign and do so against their fourth different opponent in as many years. A win tonight would give Rochester three straight season-opening victories dating back to its 13-12 overtime win over the New York Riptide nearly two years ago to the day to kick-off the 2021-22 season. The Knighthawks are 2-1 all-time in season-opening games and show a 1-2 record in home openers with their only win over that span coming by way of an 11-7 win over the Toronto Rock on Dec. 10 of last season.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Knighthawks forward Connor Fields enjoyed a breakout year in 2022-23 which saw him evolve into one of the NLL’s most elite offensive players. Fields closed out his record-setting campaign second in the NLL with 52 goals behind only New York’s Jeff Teat and finished fifth with 112 points on his way to earning Second Team All-League honors. Fields, who set the Knighthawks single-season franchise records for goals, assists and points, led the team in scoring in 14 of his 17 outings last season and scored at least two goals or more in all 17 games, including four straight weeks of four-goal efforts. By posting his third 10-point performance of the year, Fields became just the fifth player and only the third American-born player in NLL history to record 100 points in a season, a feat previously accomplished twice by Philadelphia’s Joe Resetarits, a former Knighthawks in the previous organization, in 2018 and 2022 as well as Toronto’s Tom Schreiber in 2022-23. Fields, who averaged nearly seven points per game, added yet another milestone to his already distinguished list of accolades when he scored twice in the win over Georgia on April 22 to become just the second American-born player to score 50 goals in a season, joining Roy Colsey who reached the mark in 2001 with the New York Saints. Dating back to his rookie season in 2019-20, Fields, who was originally a first-round pick (10th overall) of the San Diego Seals in 2018, has recorded at least one point in 47 of his 49 career NLL games. Additionally, Fields, who paced all NLL forwards with 142 loose ball recoveries, became the first NLL player since Athan Iannucci in 2008 to record more than 100 points and 130 loose balls in the same season. The only other player in league history to reach both of those marks in a single season was NLL legend and Buffalo head coach John Tavares. Fields closed out the season as one of only three players, joining Jeff Teat of the New York Riptide and Robert Church of the Saskatchewan Rush, to record 50 goals and 50 assists, marking the first time since 2002 three different players reached the marks in the same season. The last trio to do so were NLL legends Paul and Gary Gait and John Grant, Jr., all of whom have ties to the previous Knighthawks organization.
KNIGHTHAWKS 2022-23 SEASON IN REVIEW
The 2022-23 season was one of significant change and remarkable growth for the Knighthawks, who after combining for just six wins through their first two years of the expansion-era, far exceeded all expectations and became last year’s Cinderella story in the National Lacrosse League, culminating with the team’s first-ever playoff appearance. Rochester opened the season with an unprecedented six consecutive wins, including the first in team history over both Buffalo and Toronto, and won its first five straight at home. It marked the longest win streak in team history and tied for the second-longest in the NLL last season with both Buffalo and Georgia. The Knighthawks, who finished with a 10-8 overall record, also produced their first 100-point getter in Fields while goaltender Rylan Hartley blossomed into one of the top goaltenders in the NLL. Hartley, who started all 18 games, finished third in the league in saves (713) and tied for fourth in wins (10) while being one of only four netminders to play more than 1,000 minutes between the pipes. Rochester’s 10 wins were the most in franchise history, marking the first 10-win season by a Mike Hasen-led Knighthawks team since the 2017-18 campaign.
HASEN BACK AT THE HELM AND CLOSING IN ON HISTORY
Leading the Knighthawks into their fourth season of the expansion-era is an all-too-familiar face in head coach Mike Hasen. Last season, Hasen joined elite company back on March 25 in Las Vegas, where he was behind the bench for his 200th regular-season game, a feat only five others in league history have accomplished before him. He became just the sixth head coach – and third last season behind Georgia’s Ed Comeau and Calgary’s Troy Cordingley – to have coached 200 National Lacrosse League games. Hasen also owns the distinction of being the only member of the prestigious group, which also includes Paul Day, Darris Kilgour and Derek Keenan, to reach the mark having spent his entire career in the same city. One of the most decorated coaches in league history, Hasen is certainly no stranger to Rochester, having previously served as head coach of the former Knighthawks franchise from 2011 to 2019. In nine seasons behind the bench with the original Knighthawks, Hasen guided Rochester to an 81-75 regular season record while leading the team to six playoff appearances. The Knighthawks also finished among the top two teams in the East Division six different times under Hasen, including each of the first five seasons (2011-2015). Hasen’s most successful run at the helm of the Knighthawks came from 2012-14 when he made National Lacrosse League history by leading Rochester to an unprecedented three straight Champion’s Cups. He remains the only NLL bench boss to accomplish the feat. With 97 career wins entering this weekend, including 10 last season, Hasen is set to become just the sixth coach in NLL history to reach 100 career wins. He surpassed legendary head coach Les Bartley for sixth all-time following the win over Halifax on Feb. 11, earning him a nomination for the 2023 Coach of the Year.
McCONVEY READY TO MAKE HIS MARK
The Knighthawks will get their first look at 2022 first overall pick Thomas McConvey, who will officially make his pro debut tonight following a promising preseason and training camp with the team. The highly touted forward, one of eight to make Rochester’s season-opening roster, signed a multi-year deal with the Knighthawks after being named the nation’s top midfielder this past season as a fifth-year graduate student at the University of Virginia. He was also one of three Cavaliers players to be named a USILA First Team All-American in 2023. McConvey, who carried a 52-game point streak into his graduate season at Virginia, the longest in the nation, started all 17 games for the Cavaliers, scoring 28 goals and adding 24 assists for 52 points. Prior to joining Virginia, McConvey played four years at the University of Vermont, where he was a three-time USILA and Inside Lacrosse All-American. One of the most decorated players in program history, the Toronto, Ontario, native assembled one of the most dominant offensive performances as a senior in 2022, setting a program-record with 60 goals, becoming the first player in school history to score more than 50 in a season. He also added 14 assists for a career-high 74 points while starting in all 19 games for the Catamounts, earning him America East Offensive Player of the Year and ECAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. McConvey is just the second player in Vermont history to be tabbed the top player by America East. He also scored 12 goals in the America East championship on his way to being named the Most Outstanding Player during Vermont’s run to its second straight conference championship. In 52 career games with Vermont, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound midfielder totaled 174 points (127+47), finishing seventh all-time in scoring in program history. He recorded at least one point in every game over his four-year career, including a hat trick in eight straight games during his final season. A two-time America East All-Conference First Team selection (2021-22) and a two-time All-New England First Team selection (2021-22), McConvey was also named to the America East All-Rookie Team following a productive 32-point campaign as a freshman.
NEWCOMERS WITH A WINNING PEDIGREE
For the third year in a row, Rochester made a significant splash during the offseason with the acquisition of veteran forwards Stephen Keogh and Dan Lomas and defensemen Ethan O’Connor and Greg Harnett, whose additions will undoubtedly provide a significant boost on both sides of the floor. More importantly, the newcomers bring a winning pedigree to a Knighthawks team that last season took massive strides as an organization, both on the floor and off. Keogh and Lomas both have ties to the original Knighthawks franchise, including two seasons as teammates in Rochester. Keogh, 36, returns to Rochester for his eighth season having totaled 121 goals and 123 assists for 244 points in 80 games with the previous Knighthawks organization from 2012-2019. Keogh, who will begin this season on the PUP list, helped the franchise win three straight NLL championships between 2012 and 2014. Lomas, who’s entering his sixth pro season, has amassed 118 points (61+57) and 146 loose ball recoveries in 50 career NLL regular-season games, including 15 appearances with the previous Knighthawks franchise after being drafted by Rochester in the second round (16th overall) of the 2016 NLL Entry Draft. On the back end, O’Connor is a two-time NLL champion with the Buffalo Bandits while Hartnett helped Calgary capture an NLL title in 2019 during a nine-year stint with the Roughnecks from 2012 to 2020