The defending champion Rochester Knighthawks (9-3) will look to hand the Edmonton Rush (11-0) their first loss of the season when the teams battle on the Blue Cross Arena turf Saturday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m. The game marks a clash between the respective leaders of the east and west division.
Edmonton previously defeated the Knighthawks 8-7 in an early February match-up. Cory Conway led the Rush in the win with three points, while six different Edmonton players notched a pair of points in the effort. Netminder Aaron Bold had 37 saves for Edmonton, while Matt Vinc turned aside 50 shots in the loss for Rochester.
The Rush recently cruised to a 14-5 victory over the Buffalo Bandits (8-4) in Week 13 action, while Rochester had a bye week.
Edmonton’s success has been largely due to stellar defensive play. The Rush have allowed a league fewest 85 goals against, standing out as the lone NLL squad to give up less than 100 goals on the season. Edmonton enters the game having given up 10 or more goals just twice on the year. Aaron Bold leads all NLL goaltenders in goals against average (7.88) and wins (10) despite not cracking the top five in saves.
Rochester also boasts an impressive defense unit, trailing Edmonton for the league lead in fewest goals against (104). Matt Vinc has tended the twine for eight of nine Knighthawks wins, registering an 8.92 goals against average and 407 saves.
The Knighthawks have posted a 4-0 record in the month of March, outscoring opponents 52-36 during the time. Cody Jamieson leads Rochester in points (71) and goals (28), while trailing only Dan Dawson for the team lead in assists with 43.
With a victory, the Rush will set a new NLL record for the longest consecutive undefeated streak during the regular season, previously set by the 2007 Champion’s Cup winning Rochester squad. Edmonton has a pair of games on tap this weekend, taking on the Toronto Rock Sunday, March 30 at the Air Canada Centre.
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