The Rochester Knighthawks began the quest to defend their NLL title with an 11-10 preseason victory over the Minnesota Swarm. The game marked the first NLL action to take place at Blue Cross Arena since the 2012 championship game.
Two stand out performances of the night came courtesy of players absent from the Knighthawks 2012 roster. Former NLL MVP Casey Powell showed no signs of rust after sitting out last season, posting 2 goals in his return to the indoor game. After missing the 2012 season to pursue his career as a firefighter, Joel McCready was a pleasant surprise in his Knighthawks return recording a hat trick versus the Swarm.
Leading the Knighthawks to victory was 19 year old Johnny Powless, who finished the night with 3 goals and 4 assists. After dealing six-year Knighthawk Shawn Evans to Calgary in order to obtain the 2011 1st round draft pick used to select Powless, the Six Nations product entered his first year with high expectations. These expectations were fulfilled by the young lefty with a rookie campaign that featured an All-Star game selection and a Championship’s cup title. Based on his 7 point performance against the Swarm, including a penalty shot goal with under 2 minutes remaining that proved the eventual game winner, there is potential for Powless to cement himself as one of the NLL’s elite stars in his sophomore season.
Rochester will look to finish pre-season play undefeated as they travel to Montreal for a Saturday showdown against the Toronto Rock.
