Georgia Swarm 14 – Rochester Knighthawks 12

Georgia scored first in the waning seconds of their first penalty kill as Seth Oakes got the ball as the last guy on the turf and beat Riley Hutchcraft. Then with 9:48 left in the quarter, after Austin Hasen’s shot trickled through the crease but rolled away from the goal line, Brendan Bomberry came back the other way and had his own trickling shot that did find its way through the wickets of Hutchcraft to make it 2-0 Swarm. Rochester broke through after a slow start on offense as Connor Fields fed Austin Hasen alone in front of the net and ripped one past Brett Dobson. Georgia took an illegal cross check penalty in the final 30 seconds of the first quarter, and again buried in transition as they were able to spring a 2-on-1 where Brendan Bomberry fed Bryan Cole to make it 3-1 with 5.3 seconds left, which did become the score as the first quarter horn sounded.

The Swarm killed the penalty off and then drew an illegal substitution to go on the powerplay early into the second quarter and made the game 4-1 with Shayne Jackson finding Lyle Thompson cross-floor for the quick stick. However, the Knighthawks were able to get that goal right back with Ryan Smith going over the top for the dunk, and then got another one with Ryan Lanchbury using the traffic in front to fire in a midrange goal and bring it back within one. The run was stifled by a Kyle Waters tripping penalty in transition to put Georgia back on the powerplay and a tic-tac-toe play from Andrew Kew to Thompson to Bryan Cole made it 5-3 with 8:02 left in the half, and Shayne Jackson got his first of the game off the bench in transition where he has gotten so many this season. Jackson took simultaneous slashing and roughing penalties with 5:11 left in the half to give the Knighthawks a 4 minute powerplay, where Thomas McConvey rebounded his own shot that rang off the crossbar 15 seconds into the man advantage. Lanchbury getting denied in front on a breakaway by his former teammate in Brett Dobson was the best chance they ended up getting in the second half of the man up, and game didn’t return to 5-on-5 as Cory Highfield knocked the stick out of Andrew Kew’s grasp and went to the box. It was Kew who finished off the powerplay tally to make it 7-4 with 2:14 left in the half to give the first half score.

Andrew Kew opened up the third quarter with his second straight goal and then went back to the powerplay quickly after with Ryan Smith taking a checking from behind penalty in reverse transition, leading to Kew completing the natural hat trick with the man up. The powerplay is where Rochester found their next goal with Austin Hasen manning the front of the net and scoring his second of the night. Again Georgia countered right away with a crease dive from Bryan Cole. Another Georgia penalty kept the special teams exchange going but Georgia got the kill. Ryan Smith hit the crossbar in transition out of the resumption of 5-on-5 play and then had a goal waved off by an illegal screen as Rochester continued to come close to another goal but were unable to capitalize until 4:48 left in the quarter as Connor Fields buried his first of the game from outside. Kyle Waters dunked one past Brett Dobson but Eddie Comeau had the challenge flag on the floor before the goal horn could even sound. Fortunately for the Knighthawks inconclusive evidence ruled in their favor and gave Waters his first of the game with 2:57 to play in the quarter. Rochester got it back within two for the first time since it was 5-3 as Thomas McConvey pump faked out of a pick and pop and took the ball to the net to make it 10-8. But again Georgia was able to halt the run as Jordan MacIntosh buried a breakaway and overcame an inconclusive challenge of their own and take an 11-8 lead into the final frame.

Into the fourth quarter, Rochester got back within two again on their opening possession courtesy of Thomas McConvey’s third goal. The continued to rev up the pressure in the first five minutes of the open quarter but a save here and a crossbar there kept the score 11-9 until the Swarm pushed back into transition with 10:08 left and Jordan MacIntosh fed Andrew Kew out of the gate. Ryan Lancbury scored his second of the game on the next Knighthawks possession. A hooking and holding penalty with 8:42 left from Jeff Henrick and Lyle Thompson gave the Knighthawks a 2 minute 5-on-3 out of the TV timeout. Ryan Smith buried immediately from the point to make it 12-11. Georgia killed off the second penalty but persistence from Ryan Smith after two denials from Brett Dobson led him to putting in the third opportunity from behind the net to tie the game for the first time since the start of the game, sending The War Memorial into a frenzy through the under 5 TV timeout.

As the game crossed under two minutes, Zack Miller was stopped on a dunk attempt that went to the immediate automatic review and was held up. Ryan Smith found the back of the net on the next possession but the goal was also immediately called off saying Smith had been the first touch after running through the crease. The play also went to review to determine if the errant pass and loose ball from Thomas McConvey was enough to overturn the call. It was now, and Georgia took the ball back with 1:21 left. Riley Hutchcraft stopped Kew on Georgia’s possession, which was countered by a save from Dobson on a Kyle Waters roll. But Kew was right back on the ensuing possession to receive the pass from Brendan Bomberry and capitalize with 24.8 seconds left. Georgia got the loose ball off the ensuing faceoff and killed time until Bryan Cole dropped in the empty netter with 4 seconds left. The Swarm had survived the late surge and a 59-43 shot on goal differential to improve to 6-4 and push the Knighthawks losing streak to 5 straight since Christmas.

Bryan Cole’s 5 goals and 2 assists led the Swarm with Andrew Kew’s 4 goals and 3 assists matching the 7 point effort. The transition defender Cole had three of those goals in transition, including the empty netter, and two of them up with the offense on the powerplay. The trio of Lyle Thompson, Brendan Bomberry, and Seth Oakes each had a goal and 3 assists. Brett Dobson made 47 saves in the win and, while unrecorded, chipped in with a handful of caused turnovers deflecting passes as the Knighthawks looked to attack the net front in the early quarters. The win improves the Swarm to 6-4.

For Rochester, the script carried over from last week in Buffalo, as they were able to make the game close and even tie it this week in the fourth after a 7-2 run, but the path that put them down 10-5 in the lead up remains the concern and where the team will continue to look for the formula for a Full 60 after their final bye week of the season. The biggest takeaway from the perspective of the Swarm’s defense would be that despite him leading the team in points with 8, Connor Fields was held to a single goal for the first time in his Knighthawks tenure. Ryan Lanchbury had 2 goals and 5 assists against his former team, while Ryan Smith and Thomas McConvey combined for 6 goals and 3 assists. An assist from Mitch Ogilvie was the lone source of offense from non-forwards as Georgia also took away the transition attack of Rochester.

Week 11 Around the NLL

Halifax Thunderbirds 12 – Las Vegas Desert Dogs 10

A 6-0 run in the late first / early second for Halifax paced them to a victorious Friday Night in The Nest for their third straight win. Aaron Woods had a second straight 6 point game to open up his career with 2 goals and 4 assists, and Clarke Petterson joined him with 3 goals and 3 assists. Cody Jamieson’s 2 goals and 2 assists included the highlight of the week going between the legs with one hand. Warren Hill made 45 saves in the win. For Vegas, who fell to 3-5, Dylan Watson and Casey Jackson each had 2 goals and 3 assists, and rookie Sean Westley registered his first career hat trick. The Thunderbirds welcome a rested Bandits team to town this Friday Night.

Panther City 14 – Colorado Mammoth 13 F/OT

Jonathan Donville (2G 3A) scored his first career overtime winner 29 seconds into the extra frame as Panther City returned to Fort Worth following their rodeo road trip and also returned to .500. Will Malcom, who scored the game tying goal with 34 seconds left in the fourth, led Panther City with 3 goals and 4 assists, while rookie Ryan Sheridan broke out for 5 goals and an assist. Fellow rookie Jason Knox had 2 goals and 2 assists as well. A frustrating season continued for the now 3-6 Mammoth, who were led by 4 goals and 4 assists for Connor Kelly. Zed Williams had 3 goals and 2 assists, while Tyson Gibson and Eli McLaughlin each had 2 goals and 3 assists.

New York Riptide 10 – San Diego Seals 8

The Riptide faced their toughest challenge of their win streak, going down 7-2 after the first half to the Seals, but they scored the final 6 goals, including a single goal against in the second half on their way to a 10-8 home win for their 4th in a row. Jeff Teat continues a torrent 2024 with 4 goals and 3 assists, while Connor Kearnan chipped in with 2 goals and 2 assists. Cam Dunkerley finished the game with 52 saves in the statement win. For San Diego, the majority of their offense ran through Austin Staats and Curtis Dickson, who combined for a recorded 33 shots on goal of the 60 shots on goal. Staats had 3 goals and 2 assists on 20 shots on goal, while Dickson had 2 goals and 2 assists. Wes Berg also had 4 points with a goal and 3 assists.

Calgary Roughnecks 11 – Toronto Rock 10

While not a stunner per se, the Roughnecks provided the biggest upset of the weekend, as they headed into Hamilton and successfully held off a late push from the Rock with an 11-10 win. Christian Del Bianco had 44 saves in the winning effort that included a third quarter shutout. Jesse King led the Roughnecks with 2 goals and 3 assists, while the transition game for the Roughnecks that was so successful last season shined, with Robert Hudson and Harrison Matsuoka each scoring a pair of goals. Corey Small had 5 goals, and Mark Matthews had 2 goals and 4 assists for Toronto. The Roughnecks also were able to limit Tom Schreiber, Chris Boushy, Dan Craig, and Challen Rogers to no goals despite a combined 11 assists.

Saskatchewan Rush 13 – Vancouver Warriors 9

The Rush pulled away in the fourth quarter to get the split on the season with the Warriors in a 13-9 road win to improve to 3-4 while the Warriors dropped to 2-7. Captain Ryan Keenan led the Rush with 3 goals and 3 assists, with Clark Walter adding 2 goals and 2 assists. For Vancouver, Adam Charalambides had 3 goals and 3 assists and Keegan Bal had 2 goals and 2 assists.

Week 12 Preview

The final light week of the regular season is coming up before a 5 week stretch with 40 total games to open up the second half of the schedule.

Buffalo Bandits (5-3) @ Halifax Thunderbirds (5-3) – Friday February 16, 6:30 pm

The Bandits have won all 5 matchups with the Thunderbirds since COVID, but trips to the nest are always a challenge. Buffalo’s high powered offense will be running into one of the strongest defenses in the NLL this season in a strength on strength battle.

Toronto Rock (6-2) @ New York Riptide (5-4) – Friday February 16, 7:00 pm

Philadelphia Wings (2-5) @ Las Vegas Desert Dogs (3-5) – Friday February 16, 10:00 pm

Because of their postponed game in mid-January, the Wings have only played 3 games in 2024. Fortunately for them, however, Friday’s game starts the remainder of their schedule with no more bye weeks, and they will look to snap their three game losing streak against a young and scrappy Desert Dogs team that they defeated 14-9 in Las Vegas last season in their first head-to-head matchup all time.

Colorado Mammoth (3-6) @ Albany FireWolves (6-2) – Saturday February 17, 7:00 pm

A rare one game Saturday Night in the NLL, the first place FireWolves return from their bye week for their first all time matchup with the Mammoth. The last time the Mammoth took on the New England Black Wolves was all the way back on March 3, 2019. Doug Jamieson, Nick Chaykowsky, and Jackson Nishimura are the only remaining players for Albany that played in that game. That trio will hope to snap a two game losing streak after starting the season 6-0.

Halifax Thunderbirds (5-3) @ Calgary Roughnecks (3-5) – Sunday February 18, 7:00 pm

With the NFL season wrapped up, the NLL will have Sunday games for the majority of the remaining weeks of the regular season, starting with the Roughnecks looking for their second home win of the season, hosting the second of Halifax’s two game weekend. The Thunderbirds won both last season’s lone matchup 12-11 in overtime and their last matchup in Calgary, which was a 13-8 win on April 8, 2022.

Photo Credit: Micheline Veluvolu/ Rochester Americans