The Rochester Knighthawks defeated the Buffalo Bandits 13-8 in Game 2 to tie the series at a game apiece.
The game was a typical Knighthawks/Bandits game: chippy and hard hitting. The Knighthawks started to carry the momentum as Cory Vitarelli started the scoring at 3:16 and it seemed as if Rochester would start the way Buffalo did in Game 1.
Buffalo went on a three-goal run with goals from Benesch and Dhane Smith (2) to put the Bandits up 3-1. Then 55 seconds later the Knighthawks started a three-goal run if their own, Dan Dawson (2) and Johnny Powless putting the Knighthawks up briefly, as Jamie Rooney would tie the game at 4-4 to end the first quarter.
As we started the second quarter the Knighthawks took a page from the Bandits playbook in Game 1. A HUGE five-goal run that included three in 1:11 Jamieson and Powless had the first four, then Joel McCready capped off the run. Teams would exchange goals and the Knighthawks would go into the half with a 10-5 lead in Game 2.
When the second half started it seemed as if the Knighthawks would lock down the defense and the Bandits were doing the same. Only problem is Buffalo needed to outscore their opponents by five just to tie the game. Johnny Tavares and Scott Campbell would score for their teams and the Hawk lead stayed at five as we started the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was almost a carbon copy of the third with both teams scoring twice. During the final 15 minutes tempers started to escalate, but cooler heads prevailed as any penalties would carry over to the mini-game along with any game misconducts, etc.
The Knighthawks basically shut down the Bandit offense. Last week Steenhuis and Tavares scored four goals each. In Game 2 they only had two goals combined and Ryan Benesch only tallied one. Dhane Smith had 3 G, 3 A to lead the Buffalo offense.
Knighthawks were led by Cody Jamieson (3 G, 5 A) and Johnny Powless (3 G, 2 A) as they tied the series at a game each. Matt Vinc and Anthony Cosmo stood on their heads at times in the game.
In the mini-game the Bandits struck first at 5:22 as both teams wanted to be sure of not making any mistakes, but it was Joe Resetarits beating Vinc low off a feed from Steenhuis giving the Bandits a 1-0 lead and the Buffalo fans who drove down I-90 a lot to cheer about. Then Rochester would get their goal from Joel McCready off a beautiful feed by Joe Walters at 7:38 tying the mini-game at 1-1. For the final 2:22 the defense as stellar and the goaltending was even above that. The mini-game even proved not to be enough to declare a winner as we headed to Sudden Death Overtime.
In the overtime Buffalo won the faceoff and had a great first look to end the game and Rochesters chance to three-peat, but Matt Vince made a huge leg save off a Dhane Smith shot just 25 seconds into overtime. Buffalo would get a second chance and a wrap around shot by Resetarits was stopped by Vinc as well. Rochester had their first opportunity stopped as Cosmo stopped a shot by Stephen Keogh. The Bandits would come down the floor for another opportunity but a Dhane Smith pass could not be handled. Brad Self picked up the loose ball and fed it ahead to Jon Sullivan who in turn fed Cory Vitarelli as he came off the bench. Vitarelli streaked down the left side of the floor and fired a left handed shot (off hand) over the left shoulder of Anthony Cosmo sending the Knighthawks to the 2014 Champions Cup.
Game 1 will be in Calgary next Saturday night (May 24). Game 2 and mini-game (if needed) will be in Rochester May 31 at 8 pm Eastern.
Will history be made? No team has EVER three-peated in the 28-year history of the league… Teams have come close but couldn’t do it.
Past Two-TIME CHAMPIONS
1989 Wings defeat Saints 11-10; 1990 defeat Blazers 17-7; 1991 missed playoffs
1992-93 Bandits defeat Wings 11-10 (OT) & 13-12; 1994 loss to Wings 26-15
1994 Wings defeat Buffalo 26-15; 1995 defeat Rochester 15-14 (OT); 1996 loss to Buffalo 15-10
1999-2000 Toronto defeat Rochester 13-10 & 14-13; 2001 loss to Wings 9-8
2002 Toronto defeat Albany 13-12; 2003 defeated Rochester 8-6; 2004 loss to Buffalo in Semis 19-10
2012 Rochester defeat Edmonton 9-6; 2013 defeat Washington 11-10, 2014 ????
