The Rochester Knighthawks (3-3) take on the Buffalo Bandits (3-3) tonight at the Blue Cross Arena... again. It is the third of four meetings between the two teams this season. The series is currently tied at 1-1.
Rochester should be going into this one with the advantage. The Bandits put John Tavares on the injured reserve list last week and it looks like he probably won't be playing in tonight's game either. This is good news for Rochester considering Tavares is the National Lacrosse League's all-time points leader.
Knighthawks fans who haven't kept up with the team's recent away games will be happy to know that Rochester has found their groove. After averaging a league-worst 9.75 goals scored per game through the first four games and starting the season off with an 0-3 record, Rochester scored 35 goals in two games last weekend. They beat both the Philadelphia Wings and Buffalo Bandits by over double the other team's score. Having won their last three consecutive games, Rochester has improved their record to a respectable 3-3 and finally moved out of last place in the East.
Leading the way was Cody Jamieson who combined for 16 total points (5G + 11A) and was named the NLL Offensive Player of the Week. Dan Dawson also had his first big game of the season with an 11 point night (4G +7A) against Philly last Friday.
Matt Vinc stopped 48 of 55 shots on goal last time he faced the Bandits and will aim to extend his hot streak tonight. Vinc has been money for the Knighthawks and currently leads the league with a 10.12 goals against average. His .812 save percentage is also the highest among all starting goaltenders.
Another interesting note is that the Knighthawks average 13.5 goals per game and are 3-1 with Mike Accursi in the lineup. On the other hand, the team scores just 10 goals per game and are 0-2 with him scratched. Looks like coach Hasen better keep "No Mercy" in the lineup!
The game tonight starts at 7:30 p.m. Can't make it to the game? Don't worry. You can watch the action live online via The Lacrosse Network on YouTube.
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