Rochester Knighthawks 12 – Buffalo Bandits 9

While Zed Williams started the game with a slashing penalty on the opening draw of the game, leading to the Bandits getting the opening goal of the game on a successful dunk, his Bandit killer instincts were flowing out the gate. Rochester would get back even on a powerplay of their own from Connor Fields, who would get chippy with Steve Priolo in the celebration, sending the game to 4-on-4, where Clay Scanlan gave Buffalo the lead back. But from there, it was Zed’s time to take over, starting with a rebound shovel shot with 6:41 left in the quarter. In their first possession after the under five, Williams would send another shovel shot on net and beat Matt Vinc again, this time from further out. Then in the final minute, the natural hat trick was finished off on a drive to the net with a dream shake to get open. With the efforts, Rochester had a 4-2 lead after the opening quarter.

Dhane Smith got on the board to start the second quarter, but a backhand from Kyle Waters got the goal back and then triggered a run. On their next touch, Ryan Lanchbury scored on a catch and shoot from midrange to make it 6-3, which sent Matt Vinc to the bench for the first time this season. But the wake up call from John Tavares to his team did not return immediate benefits. After Jeremy Thompson tipped a Smith pass, Jake Piseno sent the loose ball up the floor and sprung Ryan Smith for a breakaway. With the Steven Orleman ending at the conclusion of that three goal run, the game powered on. Ian MacKay put Buffalo back on the board in transition with 6:08 left in the half before a minute long powerplay shift ended with MacKay finding Kyle Buchanan cross-crease to cut the deficit back to 2, which would hold into the half.

Thomas McConvey scored his first of the night off the bench a little over two minutes into the third, but from there, the story of the quarter would be the defenses, with 15 turnovers between the two teams and the goalies each stopping 8 of the shots they faced. The closest the two teams came to another goal both came in transition, with Ian MacKay’s goal being overturned by a successful challenge and a Brad Gillies breakaway humming off the right post.

The ball must have just been waiting for the fourth quarter to get back in the net, as Ryan Smith picked up his second goal of the game on the first possession of the quarter, extending Rochester’s lead to 9-5. Kyle Buchanan got the goal right back, and then after a reset on the ensuing possession, Tehoka Nanticoke successfully slipped a double team and scored in tight to cut the deficit to 2. Unfortunately for Nanticoke, he also was called for the next penalty of the game, a delay of game call after slashing Jeremy Thompson after a crease call. Thomas McConvey buried through a screen for Rochester’s 10th goal of the game, and then after the under ten, Connor Fields drew a double team and slipped a pass to an open McConvey, who completed a hat trick of his own after a series of stick fakes as he drove to the net. From there the Bandits created their longest stretch of sustained possession of the game, drawing a penalty two shots into a possession and then holding onto the ball for another full minute with another reset before the Knighthawks were able to gain possession. And who else to score on the first look of the powerplay but the always timely Kyle Buchanan in his office net-front with 5:46 to play.

The teams went shot for shot met by save for save for the next four minutes until Josh Byrne scored his first and only goal of the game with 1:22 left. After Connor Farrell jumped early on the ensuing faceoff, the reigning MVP came through for the home crowd. Finding space outside after killing half a shot clock, Connor Fields sent a sidearm shot to the net and pushing the lead back up to 3 with 1:07 to play, sending many of the traveling orange and black clad Buffalonians to the exits. As Buffalo got the ball back, Rylan Hartley made his 12th and 13th saves of the quarter and 41st and 42nd of the game, covering the ball up with 40 seconds left on the clock. His offense was able to use a full 30 to bring the game to its final 10 seconds, and other than a wide shot in the final second from Clay Scanlan, this one was over, as the Knighthawks improved to 4-1 with their second win of the weekend.

Zed Williams added 2 assists to his first quarter natural hat trick to lead the Knighthawks, while Thomas McConvey added 4 to a hat trick of his own across the middle stanzas. Connor Fields and Ryan Smith each had 2 goals and 3 assists as well.

For Buffalo, who dropped to 3-2, while Kyle Buchanan had 4 goals, no other Bandit found the back of the net more than once. Dhane Smith still was able to garnish 4 assists to lead the team in points.

Rochester Knighthawks 16 – Philadelphia Wings 13

The night prior did not start as swimmingly for the Knighthawks, as Michael Sowers’s season debut sparked early success for the hometown Wings, opening the scoring from midrange about 6 minutes into the game. While Connor Fields would tie the game from outside on the next possession, Brennan O’Neill got the goal right back from the point on the powerplay. Sowers would then return to the spotlight. After Taylor Jensen missed the net on a breakaway, he found space off a screen for his second, and then with his team a man down, he split a double team for a shorthanded tally to extend the lead to 4-1. Off the ensuing draw, Mitchell Armstrong picked up the loose ball and took it all the way for a breakaway tally, sending Riley Hutchcraft to the bench for the duration of the frame. With 13 seconds left in the quarter, Thomas McConvey scored to make it 5-2, but on that side of the floor, the story of the quarter ended up being Nick Damude, who ended the first 15 with 21 saves on Rochester’s 23 first quarter shots on goal.

Eric Fannell welcomed Hutchcraft back into the game with a goal, but Rochester would get it back with Matt Gilray avenging his post hit earlier in the game with a transition sweeper. While Brennan O’Neill would pick up his second of the game after being left alone in front, the Gilray goal combined with another goalie change may have been all that was needed to truly get the runners’ mojo back after being goalied in the first. Thomas McConvey picked up his second of the night less than a minute later, and then it turned into a run with a powerplay goal from Graydon Hogg and then a runner from Connor Fields. Sowers scored his fourth of the night and his first on Rylan Hartley on the next possession, but the Knighthawks would add two more late in the quarter to even the game up at 8 after 30 courtesy of a powerplay point shot from Ryan Smith and a buzzer-beating goal in transition from Gilray.

To open the third quarter, Joe Resetarits got on the board for the first time in the game, but Rochester got an answer on a shot from Ryan Lanchbury that hit off the crossbar and then Nick Damude’s back and in. A five shot possession for Rochester was erased where it counted, as Blaze Riorden rolled off a screen for his first of the game, but a breakaway goal Josh Medeiros re-tied the game right away. Ryan Smith had a goal waved off on the next possession for a crease call, so the go-ahead goal would have to wait a couple more minutes, when Zed Williams picked up his first of the game shorthanded with 5:04 left in the half, ending Damude’s night. Deacon Knott was welcomed to the game by Nathan Kapp’s first career shot attempt, but the young goalie made the save and then got support on the other end in the form of Phil Caputo capitalizing mere seconds after the powerplay ended to tie it back up at 11. The Knighthawks took their first lead of the game with 2:17 left in the third courtesy of Thomas McConvey, and then Smith extended the lead to 2 in the final minute.

The Wings got an early fourth quarter powerplay, but Jeremy Thompson was the one to score a shorthanded goal in transition to make it 14-11. Two more goals from the Knighthawks solidified both the win and the game in the final five minutes, first from Connor Fields and then an empty netter from Ryan Lanchbury. Goals from Dustyn Birkhof and Joe Resetarits proved to be formalities in the final minute, as the Knighthawks finished the sweep of the Wings.

Connor Fields and Ryan Lanchbury led the way to start the weekend with a combined 5 goals and 10 assists, while Thomas McConvey and Ryan Smith combined for another 5 goals. Kyle Waters added 3 assists, and in addition to his 2 goals, Matt Gilray blocked 4 shots. In 42:54 of relief, Rylan Hartley got the win with 26 saves. Overall, the Knighthawks finished with 104 total shots and 79 of those on goal.

For the Wings, Michael Sowers finished with 4 goals and 3 assists, while Brennan O’Neill had 2 goals and 3 assists. With the onslaught of shots, Nick Damude still finished with 45 saves in 39:56. Deacon Knott stopped 14 of the 18 shots he faced.

Halifax Thunderbirds 13 – Ottawa Black Bears 11

Ten second half goals for the Thunderbirds, including the first four of his NLL career in his debut from Will MacLeod, pushed the Thunderbirds past the Black Bears to start their two-road-game weekend on the right foot. Cody Jamieson had a hat trick, and Clarke Petterson added 2 goals and 2 assists, while Warren Hill got the win with 47 saves. For Ottawa, who outshot the Thunderbirds 76-63 and 58-33 on goal, Reilly O’Connor led with 2 goals and 6 assists. Jeff Teat had 2 goals and 2 assists.

Vancouver Warriors 11 – Calgary Roughnecks 10

On a night that started with Dane Dobbie’s #44 going to the rafters of the Saddledome, joining the likes of Tracey Kelusky and Caleb Toth, it was Dobbie’s long time running mate, Curtis Dickson, spoiling things in the end with the game-winner in overtime. Dickson had 4 goals and 3 assists to lead the Warriors, while Keegan Bal had a goal and 6 assists and Jesse King had 2 goals and 4 assists in his return to Calgary. Also returning to Calgary for the first time was Christian Del Bianco, who got the win with 43 saves. Trailing 10-5 late in the third, the Roughnecks did rattle off 5 straight goals to force OT, but it was not enough in the end. Tyler Pace and Haiden Dickson each had 2 goals and 5 assists, with Tanner Cook adding 4 goals and 2 assists, including the game-tying goal. Aden Walsh backstopped the near upset with 42 saves.

Toronto Rock 12 – San Diego Seals 7

The Rock scored 6 of the last 7 goals across the final 16 minutes, led by 5 goals and an assist from CJ Kirst, to get a road win in San Diego to get back to 2-2. Owen Hiltz had a goal and 4 assists, while Challen Rogers had 2 goals and 2 assists and Mark Matthews had a goal and 3 assists. Nick Rose made 41 saves in the win. Wes Berg led the Seals with 2 goals and 2 assists.

Saskatchewan Rush 21 – Las Vegas Desert Dogs 15

Double-digit point totals from both Ryan Keenan (6G 6A) and Robert Church (3G 8A) led the Rush to a 21-15 route of the Desert Dogs. Zach Manns and Austin Shanks also had 4 goals. For Vegas, Chase Fraser (2G 5A) and Jonathan Donville (1G 6A) had 7 points each.

Oshawa FireWolves 16 – Halifax Thunderbirds 9

Game two of the weekend for the Thunderbirds was certainly not as fruitful as the night prior, as the FireWolves led as much as 13-2 in another regression-creating offensive onslaught, led by a 7 goal 3 assist game from Tye Kurtz. Ethan Walker and Alex Simmons combined for 5 goals and 13 assists, while Dyson Williams added 4 assists. Doug Jamieson got the win with 39 saves before Andrew Kidd played the final 8:11. Randy Staats led the Thunderbirds with 3 goals and 3 assists, and was one of 5 Thunderbirds to get 10 minute misconducts after late game frustration and tomfoolery ensued in the final 3 minutes.

Colorado Mammoth 7 – Georgia Swarm 5

The Mammoth evened up their season series with the Swarm in a defensive stalemate with 7 different goal scorers for the Mammoth and 4 for the Swarm (Shayne Jackson the only player with multiple goals). Brett Dobson had 50 saves despite the loss, with Dillon Ward getting the win with 39 saves.

Week 8 Preview

Friday January 16

Ottawa Black Bears (3-3) @ Buffalo Bandits (3-2) – 7:30 pm – TSN

During their Long Island days, the now Black Bears won in two of their three trips to Banditland. Now with an improved roster over both those days and last season’s team that got smacked by the Bandits at Canadian Tire Centre 18-7 on December 13, 2024, Ottawa aims to drop the Bandits to .500.

Colorado Mammoth (3-2) @ Halifax Thunderbirds (3-3) – 6:30 pm

The Mammoth have a big opportunity this weekend to make a statement that they are to be taken seriously not just as a playoff team but as one that can compete for a middle seed, as they head to Halifax. The Thunderbirds, however, have never lost to the Mammoth at home, albeit last season’s matchup in Denver saw the home team win 19-14.

Calgary Roughnecks (1-3) @ Georgia Swarm (2-3) – 10:00 pm – TSN – Rogers Place

For the first time since June 5, 2015, the NLL is playing in Edmonton as the hosts of this year’s NLL Unboxed Game, which features two young teams looking to keep their heads down and going forward. The Roughnecks won last year’s matchup in Calgary 12-11. In 44 total meeting with the Edmonton Rush, Calgary owned the series with a 29-15 record, including 17-6 at Rexall Place. The last of those meetings game in the third game of the Western Final in 2015, where the Roughnecks won 12-9 but then lost 4-1 in the deciding minigame. The Minnesota Swarm had a 6-8 record all time against Edmonton, including a 3-3 record in Northern Alberta. The last of those trips was January 10, 2015, where the Swarm won 14-10. Jordan MacIntosh and Shayne Jackson are the only members of the Swarm still with the team, while Riley Loewen of the Roughnecks was actually with the Rush that season.

San Diego Seals (1-3) @ Vancouver Warriors (3-1) – 10:00 pm

The Warriors return home with a Seals team coming to town at a crossroads, looking to avoid falling to 1-4 for the first time since 2019-20. The home team won both matchups last season, with the Warriors winning 11-9 on January 10, while the Seals got even with a 13-11 win on March 7.

Saturday January 17

Toronto Rock (2-2) @ Rochester Knighthawks (4-1) – 8:00 pm

As the Bills wind down their playoff game in Denver, the Knighthawks will be taking the floor for warmups with the rejuvenated Rock coming to town on 585 Night, with Brighton High School graduate Ernie Clement being honored during the game after his memorable run to the World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Rock have won 7 of the 8 meetings in the expansion era, including an 11-10 win in last year’s regular season finale. Ryland Rees and Dan Coates remain out for the Knighthawks but expect to get Josh Medeiros back from injury despite a questionable status. Notably off the injury report is Ryan Lanchbury, who left the Bandits game early with a hand/wrist injury. Lanchbury was in the news midweek as well, signing a 4 year contract extension. For the Rock, Latrell Harris was placed on injured reserve, joining Victor’s TD Ierlan on that list.

Oshawa FireWolves (2-4) @ Saskatchewan Rush (5-1) – 8:00 pm

After a season sweep last season, the Rush look to continue to hold the top seed in the NLL standings, while the FireWolves offense has their biggest challenge of the early season after getting their groove on last week.

Philadelphia Wings (1-3) @ Las Vegas Desert Dogs (2-3) – 10:00 pm

Two teams with similar starts to the season meet up in Henderson, as the high powered offenses of the Wings and Desert Dogs will look to lead their teams to important wins at this point in their seasons. The Wings have won all four all-time matchups, including 15-9 last season on December 20, 2024.

(Photo Credit: Rochester Knighthawks)