| SCORING SUMMARY |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
OT |
FINAL |
 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
— |
8 |
 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
1 |
— |
10 |
(Denver, CO) … Despite storming out to a 6-1 lead in the first quarter, the Rochester Knighthawks (2-10) were unable to slow down a second-half surge by the Colorado Mammoth (7-6), who rallied from behind to upset the Knighthawks and steal a heartbreaking 10-8 win Sunday at Pepsi Center.
GAME SUMMARY
It was the second straight game in which Rochester, who falls to 0-7 on the road this season, was held to just a single goal in the second half after scoring five or more through the first 30 minutes of play.
Curtis Knight (0+6) led the way offensively for Rochester for the second night in a row with six assists to move into second on the team in scoring. Turner Evans (3+0) and Corey Highfield (2+0) would be the only two Knighthawks to record multi-goal efforts, as Evans notched his first hat trick of the 2019-20 campaign. Paul Dawson (1+0), Dylan Evans (1+0) and Holden Cattoni (1+2) all contributed with a goal apiece, with Dylan Evans scoring his first of the season. Steve Fryer made his seventh appearance in net for Rochester, making 34 saves on the 44 shots he faced against his former team.
WATCH: GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Tyler Digby (2+2), Chris Wardle (2+4) and Jacob Ruest (2+1) all notched two goals each for the Mammoth, with Wardle leading the offense on the strength of a team-high six-point effort. Ryan Lee (3+1) notched a hat trick on the night, while Eli McLaughlin (1+3) closed out the scoring for Colorado with the final marker in the fourth quarter. Tyler Carlson got the win for the Mammoth in the crease, making 37 saves on 40 shots after replacing starting netminder Dillon Ward late in the first quarter. Ward had seven saves on 12 shots he faced.
Just 43 seconds into the contest, Dawson would get the Knighthawks on the board first with the first shot of the game from behind the transition line to put Rochester ahead early. Colorado answered two minutes later before Rochester went on a six-goal run that stretched from the first to the second frame.
Cattoni would strike second for the Knighthawks before Turner Evans went back-to-back for his first two markers on the night, including a highlight reel behind-the-back tally to increase Rochester’s lead to 4-1 at the 4:19 mark. Highfield follow suit as he closed out the first frame with back-to-back goals for his second multi-goal effort on the year.
WATCH: TURNER EVANS’ BEHIND-THE-BACK HIGHLIGHT REEL GOAL
Dylan Evans opened the scoring in the second stanza with his first tally of the 2019-20 campaign. As Evans picked up the loose ball in transition, he sent a pass to Matt Bennett (0+1), who was streaking down the right side. As Bennett approached the Mammoth crease, he made a return a pass to Evans for a quick stick finish to cushion Rochester’s lead to a 7-1 advantage.
A pair of Colorado goals from Wardle and Digby just 1:21 apart would finish out the first half of play, but Rochester went into halftime with a 7-3 lead.
Momentum would soon shift in Colorado’s favor, however, as another tally from Dibgy just 22 seconds into the third frame made it 7-4 before Turner Evans completed the hat trick six minutes later. Coming from the backside, the Knighthawks forward banked it off the Colorado netminder’s leg and in.
The Mammoth took control from there, scoring six straight unanswered goals over the final 21 minutes of regulation while silencing the Knighthawks. Lee, who played his collegiate lacrosse at Rochester Institute of Technology, scored three times in a span of 3:14 to knot the contest at 8-8 with 3:08 remaining in the third.
Ruest provided the go-ahead goal in the closing minutes of the frame and McLaughlin sealed the comeback win for Colorado with the lone goal of the fourth as the Mammoth erased a six-goal deficit with a six-goal run of their own to come away with a 10-8 win.
Rochester returns home on Saturday, Mar. 14 when they host the North Division rival Halifax Thunderbirds in the first of back-to-back meetings at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena. Game time is slated for a 7:00 p.m. and will be carried live on 107.3 FM The Bull as well as B/R Live. Fans can stay up to date all season long with the latest Knighthawks news, stories and notes at www.rochesterknighthawks.com.
Goal Scorers
ROC: P. Dawson (1), D. Evans (1), T. Evans (3), H. Cattoni (1), C. Highfield (2)
COL: T. Digby (2), R. Lee (3). C. Wardle (2), J. Ruest (2), E. McLaughlin (1)
Goaltenders
ROC: S. Fryer – 34/44 (L)
COL: D. Ward – 7/12 (ND) | T. Carlson – 37/40 (W)
Shots
ROC: 52
COL: 44
Special Teams
ROC: PP (2/5) | PK (1/4)
COL: PP (3/4) | PK (3/5)
Three Stars
1. T. Carlson (COL)
2. C. Wardle (COL)
3. C. Knight (ROC)
