When the Rochester Knighthawks defeated the Calgary Roughnecks to secure their third championship in as many years, it truly was a fitting way to end their incredible 2014 season.
What makes this Rochester Knighthawks 2014 championship team truly special is that they are extremely solid from head to toe with nary a weak link in the armor. The Knighthawks offensive corps are led by 2014 National Lacrosse League MVP Cody Jamieson while the goaltending corps are led by 2014 NLL Goaltender of the Year Matt Vinc.
The only real worry that Knighthawks General Manager Curt Styres and head coach Mike Hasen ever seem to face year in and year out is the moment when stars like Jamieson or Vinc need to be pulled for a bad game, need time off for family emergencies or need time off to recover from injuries.
In the hopes of securing a possible fourth straight championship, the Knighthawks headed into the Toronto Rock Athletic Center last Monday to help address any roster needs they had for the upcoming season at the 2014 NLL Draft.
During the draft, Styres and Hasen made five selections at the draft in the form of two forwards, two defensemen and one transition. The only revelation that really came from the Knighthawks draft is the fact that they were already satisfied with their goaltending corps of starter Vinc and backup goaltender Angus Goodleaf.
Whenever Vinc and the Knighthawks have ever run into any kind of trouble, Goodleaf has always been there to help the team out with his stellar play and ability to always keep the Knighthawks in the thick of it.
So far, in his two previous seasons with the Knighthawks, Goodleaf has recorded 40 games with 31 coming during the regular season and nine coming in the playoffs.
During the 2013 regular season, Goodleaf was only used twice in the backup role for the Knighthawks. The first team Goodleaf faced in the backup role was on February 9 2013 against his former team the Buffalo Bandits at First Niagara Center. In 4:19 as backup, Goodleaf stopped all six shots he faced and helped the Knighthawks preserve the 15-7 victory. The only other action Goodleaf saw for the 2013 season was a home game against the Toronto Rock on March 3, 2013. Goodleaf was only used for nine seconds but saved the lone shot he faced.
During the 2014 regular season, Goodleaf was used three times in a backup role and saw one game as starting goaltender.
The first game that Goodleaf saw action was an away game against the Buffalo Bandits on January 25, 2014 in an 11-10 loss. Vinc had a rough game after three quarters and was pulled for the final quarter in place of Goodleaf. Goodleaf did all that he could to help the Knighthawks rally back to pull within one goal but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for them to recover and came away with the loss. In 15 minutes of play, Goodleaf was seven for eight with one goal allowed and a .875 save percentage.
The second time Vinc was pulled for Goodleaf was on March 15, 2014 at the Air Canada Centre against the Toronto Rock. In 40:25 of relief action, Goodleaf went 27 of 31 with a .871 save percentage in the 17-12 victory.
The third time Goodleaf saw relief action was on March 29, 2014 at home against the Edmonton Rush. In 20:05 of relief work, Goodleaf went eight for 10 with a .800 save percentage in the 11-15 loss.
Goodleaf’s shining moment though came during his April 5, 2014 home start against the Minnesota Swarm. Goodleaf’s goaltending prowess was in true form that night as he faced 2014 NLL Rookie of the Year Logan Schuss and company. During the game against the Swarm, Goodleaf played the entire game and was never pulled. In the full 60 minutes, Goodleaf went 42 of 51 with an .824 save percentage in the 12-9 victory against the Swarm.
