The second game of the Week 4 slate was a dream for a lacrosse fan, as it had quite literally everything one could ask for. Scoring, as there were 26 total goals scored, physicality, 50 penalty minutes, and even a goalie fight. The Rochester Knighthawks welcomed the Philadelphia Wings to town, and let’s just say it was unlikely that both teams were hanging out together after the game. Rochester used multiple runs throughout to cruise to a 15-11 victory.
The first Rochester run of the game came right at the beginning. Much to the appreciation of the crowd at Blue Cross Arena, the Knighthawks opened the game with three-straight goals. Those were scored by Zed Williams (welcome to the 585), Thomas McConvey, and Connor Fields. Joe Resetarits finally got the Wings on the board, but here came Rochester once again with two more goals, one from Jacob Piseno and the other from Graydon Hogg. 5-1 after one. Rochester controlled the pace seemingly from the word go.
The Wings came out with some juice to begin the second, as Sam LeClair netted his first on the power play and was followed up by Dustyn Birkhof. The “comeback” was short-lived however, as Rochester matched it with two of their own, one from Piseno and the other from Ryan Smith on the power play. Eric Fannell buried his first in the waning minutes and we were heading to halftime. 7-4 Rochester at the break.
“It was probably back in May when we were approached with the opportunity”, said J. Conrad Seneca at halftime regarding the purchase of the Rochester Knighthawks. “Fortunate to close it in a quick fashion, by August. It’s exciting, everyone has done such a good job here with the Knighthawks. Who better than the Seneca Nation to own a lacrosse team.”
Rochester opened the third quarter the same way they began the game; with a three-goal run. Goals were scored by Fields on the power play, Williams, and Kyle Waters. Philadelphia answered right back with two of their own, one from Liam Patten and the other from Blaze Riorden on the power play. Fields completed his hat trick to close out the frame, making the score 11-6 Rochester after three.
The fourth quarter was when it got fun, as it was an absolute track meet with end-to-end action and a ton of physicality. Just a few more minutes (or sentences) until the goalie fight, too. Fields kicked off the scoring with his fourth, but the Wings answered back with two of their own, one from Fannell, and the other from Birkhof. Right when Philadelphia thought the comeback was on, Rochester kept them at arm’s length and matched their offensive output. Case and point, in response to Philadelphia’s two, Rochester came back with two, courtesy of Fields and Smith on the power play. Brennan O’Neill and Piseno traded goals, and the Wings closed out the game with two more, one from Resetarits and the other from LeClair on the power play. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be enough for the Wings, as Rochester ran off their home floor victoriously.
On the faceoff following Resetarits’ goal, there was a crosscheck that wasn’t well liked, so both teams found a wrestling opponent. Rylan Hartley and Nick Damude presumably felt left out, so they met at midfield, shed their top layers, and started throwing absolute haymakers at one another. Put it on the list of reasons why we love this sport.
Players of the game for Rochester were Fields (5+6), Piseno (3+1), and Smith (2+2). Hartley was outstanding prior to his exit, stopping 36 of 46 in 56:45 of gameplay. For Philadelphia, Resetarits (2+3), Fannell (2+3), and LeClair (2+1) led the way. Damude had a solid game before his exit as well, stopping 37 of 52 in 56:45.
Rochester looks to keep the momentum going. They have a week off before they travel to Colorado to take on the Mammoth. That game is on January 3rd at 9pm. Philadelphia looks to get back into the win column. They also hit the road to take on Ottawa on Saturday December 27th at 7pm.
