The Rochester Knighthawks captured their second consecutive NLL title with an 11-10 victory over the Washington Stealth this past weekend. With the victory, the Knighthawks earned their fourth Champion’s Cup in franchise history and also became the first team to repeat as league champions since the Toronto Rock accomplished the feat in 2002 and 2003.
High profile additions to an already stacked roster, that included acquiring two elite scorers in Dan Dawson and Casey Powell, pegged the Knighthawks as pre-season favorites to win it all. However, these expectations seemed rather lofty after Rochester struggled out of the gate, beginning the season with three straight losses. The squad was able to dig themselves out of their early season slump, winning the next three games. Ironically enough, Rochester’s first victory of the season ended as the title game did, a one goal victory over the Washington Stealth. Despite the disappointing start and the up and down season that followed, the Knighthawks still managed to finish with an 8-8 record placing them second in the eastern division.
The Knighthawks success is largely attributed their stellar defense, who gave up the fewest goals of any team in the league. In his first season as team captain, Sid Smith helped anchor the Rochester back end. Smith led Rochester in forced turnovers in the regular season (16) and playoffs (3). The performance of Ian Llord was a pleasant surprise for the Rochester defense. After beginning the year on the practice roster, Llord appeared all but two games during the regular season and dressed in every postseason match-up. Brad Self, who was reunited with brother Scott after a midseason deal, was not only an integral part of the defense but an effective transition force. The Peterborough native led the team in looseballs with a combined total of 121 and finished the year with twenty-five points.
The Rochester defense was led by the outstanding season put forth by goaltender Matt Vinc. Vinc was rock solid in net, earning NLL Goaltender of the Year honors and his fourth First Team All-Pro selection. With such accolades, Vinc became the only goalie to be named NLL Goaltender of the Year three times and the first to ever nab top goalie nods and capture the league title in the same season. The eight year veteran also set a new NLL single-season record with 662 saves while leading the league in goals against average (10.17) and save percentage (.803). Vinc continued his success into the postseason, capping off the year with a playoff high 39 save performance in the finals.
Offensively, Cody Jamieson cemented himself as the future face of the Rochester Knighthawks. Jamieson led Rochester in all major offensive categories for the second consecutive year, with his 89 points and 61 assists marking the best single-season totals of his young career. Despite his exceptional regular season, Jamieson shined even brighter in the playoffs. The Six Nations product notched 3 goals and 2 assists in the title game, en route to being named Champion’s Cup MVP for the second year in a row. Jameison joins John Tavares as the only players to ever receive back-to-back Champion’s Cup MVP awards.
Dan Dawson wins his first NLL title.
Though the additions of Dan Dawson and Casey Powell were originally thought to be integral in ensuring the Knighthawks repeat as champions, Dawson would be the only member of the dynamic duo to finish the season with the club after Powell was bounced to the Colorado Mammoth in a trade deadline deal. Dawson led Rochester in playoff scoring with 14 points including a five point performance in the championship, capturing the first Champion’s Cup of his successful twelve year career. His eight playoff assists gave Dawson 73 in his career, passing Colin Doyle for second all-time in postseason assists.
Joe Walters had a career year for Rochester, registering personal highs in goals (9), assists (25) and points (34). After providing solid secondary scoring during the regular season, Walters inserted himself as a primary offensive contributor during the Knighthawks playoff run. Walters’ 11 postseason points ranked him third in team scoring behind Dawson and Jamieson. The Rochester native concluded his best season to date in heroic fashion by scoring the eventual game winner in the Champion’s Cup.
Before the 2013 season began, there were claims in the lacrosse world that a Rochester Knighthawks dynasty was in the making. After capturing back-to-back titles, the squad has done all that is possible to live up to these high expectations. Rochester’s mixed roster featuring veteran players fused with up and coming stars, along with the distinctive will to win exhibited by owner and general manager Curt Styres, present the Knighthawks with an idealistic situation moving forward.
