The undefeated Rochester Knighthawks (3-0) will take on in-state rival Buffalo Bandits (3-1) Saturday in a battle for first place in the East Division. The Bandits and Knighthawks split in 2013 with two wins each.
Rochester has yet to play a road game this season, after going 5-3 as the visiting team in 2013. The Knighthawks stellar defense have allowed the fewest goals against (23) in the league. Goaltender Matt Vinc continues to anchor the Rochester backend with a NLL leading 7.67 goals against average.
The Knighthawks are coming off a 12-8 win over the Toronto Rock. Dan Dawson led the way in the victory with seven points, as he currently leads the Knighthawks offensively with 19 points.
Buffalo enters the matchup on a three-game winning streak, most recently defeating the Colorado Mammoth in a convincing 16-9 road victory. Ryan Benesch picked up eight points (1 G, 7 A) in the win. The lefty sniper has notched 18 points during the Bandits’ trio of consecutive wins, trailing only Dhane Smith (23) for the Bandits scoring lead.
Bandits defender Steve Priolo has been on an offensive tear as of late. After matching his career season high in goals (2) in a win over Toronto, Priolo exploded for three goals and one assist versus the Mammoth.
Bandits goaltender Anthony Cosmo has amassed 167 saves this season, trailing only Philadelphia Wings goaltender Evan Kirk in the category. The veteran netminder is currently tied with Rochester goaltender Matt Vinc and Aaron Bold of Edmonton for the league lead in wins with three.
Faceoff is set for 7:30 pm at the First Niagara Center.
