The Minnesota Swarm took on the defending NLL Champion Rochester Knighthawks last night in the their season opener and fell short of the win. The 8-6 final was the lowest scoring game of the NLL’s season openers, which saw a win by the Philadelphia Wings 17-13 over the Buffalo Bandits, and a 13-10 win by the Edmonton Rush over the Colorado Mammoth.
The Swarm could never get much going against the reigning Goaltender of the Year, Matt Vinc. Vinc had 45 saves in the game and faced 51 shots put on net by the Swarm. At the end of the first quarter the Knighthawks held the lead at 2-0 and never relinquished their hold ’til late in the second half. The Swarm were able to claw their way back into the game by timely goals from Callum Crawford and Tyler Haas, who gave the Swarm their first lead of the game at the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter, much like the rest of the game, was highly contested, but saw the eventual win swing to the Knighthawks, with the tying and the go-ahead goals going to Joel McCready.
The Knighthawks were lead by Dan Dawson who had 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points, followed by Joel McCready who had 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points. The team’s leading scorer from last season, Cody Jamieson, had 3 points.
The Swarm were lead by veteran Callum Crawford, who had 3 points (a goal and 2 assists), and by Tyler Haas, Jordan MacIntosh, and Logan Schuss, who all had 2 points in the game. The game also saw the return of Andrew Suitor to the Swarm’s side and although he had no points he did make himself known with some gritty plays and his voice on the bench.
The Knighthawks started Matt Vinc in net and were rewarded with a stellar performance and the win. Vinc finished the night with an 88.2 save percentage, with 45 saves and only 6 goals allowed in 60 minutes played. On the other side of the floor the Swarm started Tyler Carlson in net. Carlson had a 76.5 save percentage, with 26 saves and 8 goals allowed in the full 60 minute game. Carlson played well enough for the Swarm to win the game, although he did leave room late in the game for some improvement.
The Swarm had their chances to get the win but time and time again they had poor shot selection and a rushed feeling. The team played well and stuck in there during a night they obviously were not on top of.
The Swarm will not play again until January 11th, when they take on the Vancouver Stealth at the Langley Event Center in Vancouver.
