How The Knighthawks Spent Their Summer Vacation Rochester Knighthawks by Eddy Tabone - November 3, 2022November 2, 20220 It’s been the goal of the Rochester Knighthawks to get better every day since returning from the COVID shutdown. While their 4-14 final record was at the bottom of the NLL standings in 2021-22, a two-win improvement from 2019-20 among countless trials and tribulations on the injury reports and covid list throughout the season at least allowed the franchise to continue to push forward into a positive direction. The franchise’s goal for 2022-23 is to turn their small daily victories into wins on the field and in the standings, and if this summer has reminded us of anything, it’s that the roster has plenty of players that come from a winning pedigree. Peterborough Four-Peat After two summers off, Major Series Lacrosse (Ontario’s Senior A summer league) returned to its traditional full-season schedule and playoff format, opting for a 5-week showcase style season in Oakville in 2021. While not playing during that season, the Peterborough Lakers returned to play this summer aiming to defend their run of Mann Cup victories from 2017-2019. Knighthawks Head Coach Mike Hasen is the Head Coach of the Lakers, and Knighthawks players Holden Cattoni, Thomas Hoggarth, Turner Evans, Matt Gilray, Thomas Whitty, Paul Dawson, Mitch Ogilve, and first-round draft pick Austin Hasen all appeared for the Lakers throughout the season. After a 7-5 record in the regular season, good for second in the MSL, the Lakers won the league final series over the Six Nations Chiefs and advanced to the Mann Cup to host the Langley Thunder of the Western Lacrosse Association, where they won a 7 game series. TeamPlayerRegular Season StatsPlayoff StatsPeterborough LakersHolden Cattoni12 GP, 22G 21A18 GP, 33G 45APeterborough LakersThomas Hoggarth9 GP, 19G 13A16 GP, 35G 19APeterborough LakersAustin Hasen12 GP, 11G 12A12 GP, 8G 11APeterborough LakersTurner Evans5 GP, 4G 16A7 GP, 3G 11APeterborough LakersMatt Gilray9 GP, 5G 3A18 GP, 4G 9APeterborough LakersMitch Ogilvie10 GP, 2G 3A16 GP, 4G 5APeterborough LakersThomas Whitty5 GP, 1G 1A0 GPPeterborough LakersPaul Dawson5 GP, 1G 0A16 GP, 2G 2ASix Nation ChiefsVaughn Harris11 GP, 18G 13A10 GP, 14G 12ABrooklin Lacrosse ClubCurtis Knight4 GP, 3G 5A5 GP, 3G 5ABrooklin Lacrosse ClubChris Willman4 GP, 6A5 GP, 2ABrooklin Lacrosse ClubJeff Wittig3 GP, 1G0 GPBrooklin Lacrosse ClubRiley Hutchcraft11 GP, 4-0-1, 9.80 GAA, 0.813 SV%5 GP, 0-1, 15.22 GAA, 0.721 SV%Coburg KodiaksRiley Curtis8 GP, 2G 6A4 GP, 2G 5ACoburg KodiaksCurtis Romanchych7 GP, 2G 1A4 GP, 1ACoburg KodiaksTyler Halls2 GP, 2A2 GPRochester Knighthawks in MSL Out west in the Western Lacrosse Association, the Langley Thunder defeated the Nanimo Timbermen in the finals to advance to their first Mann Cup since 2012. Second Round Pick Thomas Vela was the only Knighthawk to appear in the WLA this season. TeamPlayerRegular Season StatsPlayoff StatsLangley ThunderThomas Vela6 GP, 7G 5A0 GPRochester Knighthawks in WLA Top Dog Ryland Rees was a vital member of the Waterdogs’ defense, registering 17 ground balls in the regular season and 11 more in the playoffs as part of a strong faceoff wing unit, and he added 2 two-point goals and a one-point goal in the regular season with two more one-point goals coming in the playoffs. Ryan Smith played a support role as a midfielder for the Chaos, while offseason acquisitions Connor Fields and Jared Conners each played key roles for the Archers. TeamPlayerRegular Season StatsPlayoff StatsWaterdogsRyland Rees9 GP, 1 1Pt G, 2 2Pt G, 1A, 17 GB3 GP, 2G, 11 GBChaosRyan Smith8 GP, 8G 5A, 2 GB3 GP, 2AArchersConnor Fields6 GP, 12G 4A, 5 GB2 GP, 3G 3A, 8 GBArchersJared Conners10 GP, 4A, 18 GB2 GP, 7 GBRochester Knighthawks in the PLL Photo Credit: Rochester Knighthawks