For the first time in their National Lacrosse League careers, forwards Ryan Smith and Ryan Lanchbury were teammates. The latter of the two was acquired in a trade from the Georgia Swarm ahead of Rochester’s first road game of the season last Saturday in Saskatchewan, a game the Knighthawks won 16-14, securing a 2-0 record to start the season for the second straight year.
For most, it’s another early game in another regular season, but for these two, it’s a moment they won’t soon forget. Smith and Lanchbury were teammates for the first time at the pro level, but the two seemed inseparable long before then.
“I’ve been playing lacrosse with him every other year since I was five,” said Smith, who has back-to-back six-point efforts to begin the season. “We’re very close off the floor.”
“We were always friends, but when I was in sixth grade he moved into the neighborhood where I grew up and lived right around the corner from me,” said Lanchbury. “Right away, we became close from that, just because we had already known each other.
🚨 LANCHBURY FOR THE LEAD!
11-10, us | Q3, 2.8 seconds remaining pic.twitter.com/XZNyIEWbGg
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) December 10, 2023
The move that Smith’s family made brought the two Ryan’s together even more so than before. They had been friends for years, but now, they were best friends.
“I think from that day on, we pretty much spent every single day of our lives together until we went off to college in the states,” laughed Lanchbury. “We’d be with each other in class and every day playing sports. Then we would go to one of our houses and hang out and have dinner, then go back to our own houses to go to bed and do it all over again the next day.”
The duo’s friendship could sometimes lead to friendly competition, with the pair squaring off against one another in a good ole fashioned mini stick game in the basement.
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 2: Rochester Knighthawks v Calgary Roughnecks December 2, 2023 in Rochester, New York. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu)
Asked when going one-on-one, who would usually come out on top, Smith said:
“I’m going to say it was me, but he may have a different version of the story.”
Lanchbury’s story:
“I’m gone say I did.”
While they may not share the same story, Ryan and Ryan do share the same passion for the game of lacrosse.
That Lanchbury-Smith connection is already FIRING US UP! 🔥🚨
9-8, them | Q3, 5:18 remaining pic.twitter.com/PGAzt3iQ2s
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) December 10, 2023
“I don’t think a lot of people grew up wanting to be a lacrosse player,” said Lanchbury. “They wanted to be a hockey player or play some other big-time sport. For he and I, lacrosse was always our go-to and what we loved the most.”
Saturday was more than a regular season game. It was the fulfillment of boyhood dreams.
“We’ve always dreamt about playing in the NLL together ever since we started playing together and becoming best friends,” said Smith.
And there they were. Experiencing a moment that both players tried to sum up in one word: surreal.
“It’s kind of surreal to have seen the number seven with Lanchbury on the back of a Knighthawks jersey last week in Saskatchewan. It was just crazy. We kept looking at each other going ‘wow, we’re doing this,’” said Smith.
The Saskatchewan Rush host the Rochester Nighthawks at Sask Tel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, December 09, 2023
“That game was probably the most fun I’ve had playing lacrosse in a long time,” said Lanchbury. “I’ve been fortunate to have had a lot of fond memories playing this game, but that one was special. Just being out there with him felt surreal. I just remember being out there with him for that first shift and thinking ‘this is just surreal.’”
For as special as the moment was from a sentimental standpoint, it was just as impressive from a statistical side. The best friends each had multi-goal outings, with Smith recording a hat trick and six points, while Lanchbury’s Knighthawks debut saw him score two goals and two assists.
“He’s a great compliment to our right side,” said Smith. “You could see his confidence growing with each shift. He had two goals and two assists, but I know he has a lot more in him. I’m super excited for him and I know he’s going to keep chomping at the bit to prove himself to everyone.”
Lanchbury managed six goals and 16 points through his 10-game rookie campaign in Georgia last season. The NLL sophomore expects more from himself this year, but this time, he’ll be looking to do so as a Knighthawk.
Old friends, reunited at last 🖤 pic.twitter.com/B0XeM5PyEb
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) December 13, 2023
The two have fulfilled part of a lifelong dream. They are teammates at the highest level of a sport they’ve played together their entire lives. The next part of their dream will take weeks and months’ worth of work to achieve, but the two Ryan’s hope to be celebrating together in the spring as NLL Champions.
