The Minnesota Swarm (3-10) will host the Rochester Knighthawks (9-4) Friday night in the first game of a home-and-home weekend series.
Friday’s match-up will mark the second meeting of the year between the squads, with the Knighthawks previously emerging with an 8-6 season opening win. Dan Dawson led Rochester offensively in the game, while goaltender Matt Vinc posted 45 saves to record the win.
The Knighthawks and Swarm enter the game at opposite ends of the spectrum statistically. Rochester currently holds possession of first place in the eastern division, while Minnesota sits in last place in the division. Minnesota’s offense currently holds the lowest number of goals scored league wide (129), while Rochester’s defense has held opponents to a league fewest goals against (119).
Rochester was last in action versus the Edmonton Rush (13-0), seeing a four-game winning streak come to an end in the form of 15-11 home loss. Dan Dawson (1g, 5a) had six points in the loss while Cody Jamieson had four points (2g, 2a). The duo currently sit first and second in Rochester scoring, as Jamieson leads the way with 75 points (30g, 45a) while Dawson trails closely behind with 70 points (13g, 55a).
Minnesota dropped three of four March matches, most recently falling 15-11 to the hands of the Calgary Roughnecks (8-5). Callum Crawford had six points (1g, 5a), while Shayne Jackson (3g, 1a), Jordan Macintosh (2g, 2a), and Logan Schuss (4a) each registered four points in a losing effort.
Crawford leads the Swarm offensively with 58 points in 13 games played, making him the only player on the Swarm roster with more than 50 points this season. Schuss enters April after a productive March that saw the lefty post 15 points (5g, 10a) in four games, bringing his season total to 46 points (21g, 25a) and earning Rookie of the Month honors.
The Swarm currently trail both the Toronto Rock (5-9) and Philadelphia Wings (5-9) by 1.5 games in the race for the final playoff spot in the eastern division.
Face-off for the game is set for 8:30 p.m.
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