The Rochester Knighthawks (0-2) will look to get their first win of the season tonight when they face the Toronto Rock (3-1) at the Blue Cross Arena. This is easier said than done as Toronto is always a tough matchup for the Knighthawks. They were 0-3 against the Rock during the regular season last year but then seemed to do the impossible and pulled out a win against them in the playoffs - on the road no less.
Rochester may have some trouble scoring tonight considering Toronto goaltender Nick Rose has been on fire lately. Through four games, he has a 9.90 goals against average, .805 save percentage, and a league leading 161 saves. Rose could pose a significant problem for the Knighthawks who have had trouble keeping the ball out of their own net through the first two games. If the game turns into a defensive showdown, the Knighthawks will be in trouble.
The Rock have a high-powered offense that will be hard to contain with star players such as Garrett Billings, Stephan Leblanc, Colin Doyle, Josh Sanderson, and Blaine Manning. Let's not forget that former Knighthawk Scott Evans also plays for Toronto now. He will be facing the Knighthawks for the third time since being traded by them. Evans played against Rochester in a preseason game this year and scored four goals. He also faced them back in 2011 as part of the Edmonton Rush and scored four goals in that game as well. Is he in for a four goal game tonight? Let's hope not.
Cody Jamieson has been pretty quiet so far this season with just two goals in the first two games (though he does lead the team in assists with eight). Look for him to start scoring more soon and what better game to do it than against Toronto? Jamieson was pretty successful against Toronto last season with eight goals and 10 assists in three regular season games.
Rochester really needs a win tonight. Beating Toronto could prove to be a huge morale booster and starting the season 0-3 is never good.
The game starts at 7:30 p.m. EST. Fans can listen to the game Sportsradio 950 ESPN and online at www.sportsradio950espn.com. It will also be televised live on the Time Warner Sports Channel, ESPN3.com, and TSN2 in Canada.
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