Tonight at Blue Cross Arena, the Rochester Knighthawks will return to home turf for the first time since their Champions Cup win. They will face off against the Minnesota Swarm in a pre season game.
Rochester will see Casey Powell return to the team for the first time since 1999. Over his career, Powell has played ten games against the Swarm. He has 25 goals against them, the fifth most of any team and has 56 career points against Minnesota.
Joel McCready will also see action for the first time in a while after sitting out last season. He has played three games against Minnesota career with no points. He last played in the NLL in 2011 where he played in 12 games.
Rochester is also without Jarrett Davis after trading him for Paul Rabil this off season, who has not yet showed up for training camp. Other players to watch are second year players Johnny Powless and Stephen Keogh and how they are defended after a year under their belts.
New additions to the Knighthawks on their defense include Ian Llord and Tommy Montour who both signed as free agents after being released by Buffalo.
Minnesota released several players from their training camp roster after their scrimmage against Colorado last week. However, plenty of rookies and roster hopefuls are in action.
Kiel Matisz will get his first ever NLL action against pro level competition, and give fans their first look at the offense with him on the floor. Also players like Matt Gibson, Ian Crawford, Joe Wasson and Tyler Tanguay will be fighting for the few remaining positions.
Another player trying to crack the roster is Cody Jacobs, a former Buffalo Bandit, who scored a goal last week against Colorado.
Ryan Masters and Zach Higgins will also have a final chance to battle for that last goaltender position along with last season’s backup Tyler Carlson.
Meanwhile, players like David Earl and Jay Card will make bids to keep their roster spots as the Swarm keep getting younger. Minnesota and Rochester both have a lot to watch for, so you won’t want to miss this game tonight at 7pm. Tune in live on YouTube via The Lacrosse Network and stay tuned to In Lacrosse We Trust for updates and a recap.
