Rochester Knighthawks 14 – San Diego Seals 13

After a strange sequence to say the least saw a shot from Rob Hellyer scrape off the top of Rylan Hartley’s mask and went right to Zach Currier who dunked in the rebound, Rochester controlled most of the way in the first quarter. A transition goal for Josh Medeiros tied the game before goals from Thomas McConvey and Kyle Waters pushed the Rochester lead up to 2. Tre LeClaire would get San Diego back on the board before Ryan Lanchbury would swim inside to get to the front of the net to get one back for the Knighthawks. While Wes Berg would score on the powerplay with 4:22 left, Ryan Smith would use his strength to get to the net to make it 5-3 Rochester after 1.

Connor Fields opened up the first possession of the second corner with a rip from outside to become the 6th Knighthawk to score in the first 6 goals of the game. Rochester’s high-pressure forward press led to the next goal, as Graydon Hogg picked off a Kyle Rubisch pass and fed Fields who fed a cutting Ryan Smith alone in front to make it 7-3 before Smith would add the 8th goal on the powerplay with 9:05 left in the half. A breakaway for Tre LeClaire ended the Knighthawks run before Fields and Trent DiCicco exchanged goals to round out the half with a 9-5 Knighthawks lead.

Another quarter, another early goal for Rochester, this time coming in the form of Smith’s fourth of the game as he spun off his man to get open in front. Connor Fields got his third of the game, wrapping around Danny Logan from outside to make it 11-5, but then the tide started to shift back in the favor of the Seals. Another transition goal for Tre LeClaire prevented another Rochester run. While Taylor Jensen sprung for a transition goal halfway through the quarter, another Seals powerplay led to a sidearm swipe from Ryan Benesch. From there, Trevor Baptiste reminded the league that he was back and healthy from his injuries to start the season. Following Benesch’s goal, the Seals won the faceoff and Jake Govett scored to cut the deficit to 4. Another faceoff win for Baptiste led to Benesch finding space off a screen for another goal. After the ball team assisted Baptiste for another win, it was Govett again, and all of a sudden it was a 2 goal game with still 4:15 to play in the quarter. Riley Hutchcraft came in to give Rylan Hartley a short rest before the under 5 timeout and ended the streak of consecutive shots to help settle his defenders down and the pace of the game as a whole. Thomas McConvey would add a transition goal with 44 seconds to go to put Rochester back up 3, but Benesch would from LeClaire for an open quick stick with just under 9 seconds left in the quarter to make it 13-11. While Mike Sisselberger was able to neutralize Baptiste most of the night, that string of faceoffs is what primarily led to the Seals controlling 18 of the 31 draws for the game and got the Seals back into the game.

Wes Berg got his second goal of the game 1:58 into the new quarter on an offensive rebound to cut the deficit to 1. A delay of game call against the Knighthawks put the Seals on the powerplay with the chance to tie the game. One saved and one blocked shot later, the penalty was killed. Rochester would get a powerplay of their own with 7:52 to play, but the Seals penalty kill got stops and turnovers and were rewarded with Jake Govett’s third of the game, spinning off his man to cut to the net and bury a pass from Zach Currier. The game would remain tied with the defenses holding up on both ends. With under 3 to go, a Rylan Hartley save and a Taylor Jensen rebound led to an unsuccessful wrap around check from Rob Hellyer, leading to a Rochester powerplay that would begin with 2:11 on the clock. The man advantage started slowly, with wide shots on both ends and an interrupted quick stick.

A wide shot from Tre LeClaire forced a shot clock violation with 35 seconds to go, where Mike Hasen would call their timeout. Ryan Smith would shift to the point to feed Ryan Lanchbury off a screen on the crease, who would then feed Thomas McConvey behind the net on the opposite side, and then with Kyle Waters in front drawing the bottom two Seals defenders, that opened up McConvey to feed Smith with space, and the NLL’s leader in powerplay goals would beat Chris Origlieri over the near shoulder with 10.5 on the clock. While a long clamp ended with the Seals getting possession with 5 seconds left after their own timeout, Ryan Benesch’s well-contested final outside shot attempt was redirected to the corner boards as time expired, and almost ceremoniously after two losses back in January at the buzzer on their home turf, the Knighthawks had exercised those demons with a 14-13 statement win for their fifth win in a row and 9th overall, passing last season’s total.

At 9-7, a return to the playoffs for a third straight season is within reach with two games and three total weeks remaining. If the standings were to hold, Blue Cross Arena would be in line to host its first NLL playoff game since the 2018 NLL Finals.

Thirteen Knighthawks registered a point, led by Ryan Lanchbury scoring once and assisting on 6 other goals. Ryan Smith added 5 more goals to push his team lead up to 43. Of course right behind him with 41 is Connor Fields, whose 3 goals and 2 assists bring him to 109 points on the season with 8 more loose balls to get up to 136. Thomas McConvey also had 5 points with 2 goals and 3 assists. Rylan Hartley finished with 40 saves, holding on in the fourth quarter after the shaky third as the Knighthawks defense, who lost Ryland Rees to injury earlier in the game, started to run out of gas.

At 8-7, the Seals manage to hold onto a playoff spot, but in a game where someone had to lose, it adds another obstacle towards their aspirations to not only return to the playoffs but take their veteran roster on a run. 7 combined goals from Tre LeClaire and Jake Govett were complemented with 2 goals and 4 assists from Ryan Benesch, 2 goals and 3 assists from Wes Berg, a goal and 4 assists from Zach Currier, and 4 assists from Rob Hellyer. Chris Origlieri made 46 saves despite the loss.

Vancouver Warriors 13 – Buffalo Bandits 12

Despite exchanging turnovers on the first two possessions of the game, the offenses came to play off the jump, with Matt Beers and Marcus Klarich setting up Jeff Cornwall in transition for the opening goal of the game 1:04 in. Buffalo would counter right back with a midrange corner pick from Kyle Buchanan before Dhane Smith drove baseline to get open in front and give Buffalo the lead, only for Kevin Crowley to pick the far corner himself to make it 2-2 still just 2:20 into the game. After Paul Dawson was stopped by Christian Del Bianco on a partial breakaway, Keegan Bal wrapped a shot around his defender to get on the board, and then a turnover off the faceoff led to Ryan Martel making it 4-2 just before the first TV timeout of the game. After Tehoka Nanticoke got on the board with 8:07 left in the quarter, the early scoring halted and would remain 4-3 after 1.

After three killed penalties during that scoring pause in the first, the fourth penalty of the game and the second for Vancouver is what led to Buffalo tying the game courtesy of Chase Fraser. Buffalo’s major penalty struggle on the season continued after Nick Weiss was called for hitting Ryan Martel from behind, and the Warriors responded with a goal from Keegan Bal, who later would set up Riley Loewen for a quick stick to capitalize twice on the major. Bal would finish off the hat trick in the final two minutes of the half, giving the Warriors a 7-4 lead heading into the break. While the major may have played a role in the stark shot difference in the frame, Buffalo was limited to 6 total shots on goal across the second quarter.

An opening shift drawn penalty gave the Bandits another early quarter powerplay to work with and bounce back from the slow second quarter, and that’s just what they did as Ian MacKay pumped and scored on the first possession of the man advantage. Marcus Klarich would push the lead back up to 3, but Buffalo would then begin to shift their way back into the game from there. Dylan Robinson scored in transition following an illegal screen call on Vancouver, and then Josh Byrne would feed a rolling Ian MacKay on the next possession to cut the deficit to one. While the Bandits would draw the next penalty after an extended four shot possession out of the under 5, it would be Vancouver scoring shorthanded with Keegan Bal finding a cutting Riley Loewen for a goal in front. Despite the unsuccessful powerplay, Kyle Buchanan would get one more goal to make it 9-8 after 3.

Nick Weiss would score in transition to start the fourth quarter to tie the game, and then Josh Byrne would score on back to back possessions to give the Bandits their first two goal lead of the game. But Vancouver would get right back in it, starting with a goal from Kevin Crowley two possessions later, and then Adam Charalambides feeding Ryan Martel in front to tie the game back up with 6:36 to play. And to make things worse for the Bandits, Dylan Robinson would be called for the Bandits second major penalty of the game after crosschecking Martel up high while he was laying in the crease after the goal. Vancouver would take the lead halfway through the powerplay with Charalambides getting his first goal of the game with 4:20 to play. Keegan Bal and Ian MacKay exchanged goals scored on the next two possessions to push the score to 13-12 with 3:37 to play. As Jeff Cornwall went to the box for holding with 2:17 left, Buffalo had the golden opportunity to tie the game, but MacKay would hit the cross bar on the first shot of the man advantage. After MacKay forced a transition turnover to give them an unsettled 3-on-2, Christian Del Bianco robbed Dhane Smith on the doorstep and the Warriors went the other way to kill clock. A wide shot for Buffalo and more clock killing from Vancouver brought the time down to 36.7 when Buffalo called their timeout. From there, Del Bianco made two more saves, Owen Grant blocked a shot, and Buffalo would be unable to get any other looks on net, as the Warriors held on for their second straight win over the Bandits.

Springtime for Keegan Bal continues to be his time to shine this season, following up 9 and 12 point games with a 4 goal 6 assist game to extend their win streak to three in a row. Adam Charalambides had a goal and 6 assists, while Kevin Crowley and Riley Loewen each had 2 goals and 2 assists. Christian Del Bianco improved to 3-0 with a 40 save performance.

While Buffalo’s loss is their 4th in the last 8 games, they remain atop the standings with 3 games to play, as their win over the Rush remains the tiebreaker between the two 11-4 teams. Dhane Smith had a goal and 6 assists to lead the Bandits, with Josh Byrne adding 2 goals and 3 assists and Ian MacKay adding 3 goals and an assist. Kyle Buchanan had 12 loose balls to go along with 2 goals.

Week 18 Review

Ottawa Black Bears 13 – Philadelphia Wings 5

A lot of Philadelphia’s recent losses have come in the form of anemic results on the offensive side of the floor, and their old friend Zach Higgins had no interest in helping his old teammates get back on track with their season beginning to slip away. The former Wing made 42 saves on the way to a 13-5 beat down, getting the Black Bears back within a game of .500. Jeff Teat continued his tear with 4 goals and 5 assists, and another former Wing in Taggart Clark had 4 goals and 3 assists, while Connor Kearnan added a goal and 5 assists. While Mitch Jones was held scoreless, he assisted on 4 of the 5 Wings goals.

Saskatchewan Rush 17 – Colorado Mammoth 12

While they wouldn’t have known the result of the Bandits loss to Vancouver at the time the game started, the Rush certainly played like the opportunity to get back to tied for first in the standings was more than in the fold, peppering the 12 of the first 14 goals of the game on the way to a 17-12 win over the Mammoth. Austin Shanks his first sock trick since February 19, 2022, along with 4 assists for his first career double digit point game. Ryan Keenan had 5 goals and 2 assists, with Robert Church reversing with 2 goals and 5 assists and Clark Walter chipping in 7 assists. Each of Zach Manns and Brock Haley had 2 goals and 3 assists. Ryan Lee had a sock trick of his own to lead the Mammoth, with Tyson Gibson adding 3 goals and an assist.

Georgia Swarm 13 – Halifax Thunderbirds 12 F/OT

A runny Sunday in Duluth saw the Swarm up 2 with 6 minutes to play. A roughing minor with 2:22 left gave the Swarm a great opportunity to finish the game off, but the Thunderbirds killed the penalty off and called timeout with 26.6 seconds left. Out of the timeout, Cody Jamieson fired a twister short side with 19.6 seconds to play to cut the deficit to 1, and then after Jake Withers won his 24th faceoff of the game, Jamieson found Randy Staats (1G 4A), who sent a cross-floor pass to Dawson Theede (4G 1A) who found just enough space to shoot around the contesting defender to force overtime in the final 3 seconds. However, overtime in Duluth is Andrew Kew’s (2G 1A) time to shine, as he fired from outside 3:16 into the extra frame for his third OT winning goal in the last two seasons, moving the Swarm one game behind the Thunderbirds in the standings. Shayne Jackson led the Swarm with 3 goals and 6 assists, while Brett Dobson got the win with 47 saves. Clarke Petterson had 1 goal and 6 assists to lead the Thunderbirds.

Week 19 Preview

Every team is in action in Week 19 as the April slate gets underway with seeding implications across the board.

Ottawa Black Bears (7-8) @ Rochester Knighthawks (9-7) – Saturday April 5, 7:00 pm

A win for the Knighthawks on the eve of their final bye week in Week 20 would have them in the driver’s seat towards the playoffs, as a win and one of Calgary or San Diego losing would clinch a spot in the top 8 of the unified standings. They handled the Black Bears easily in Ottawa a couple of weeks ago, but Ottawa’s offense has shifted into overdrive the last three games to keep themselves in the mix. On a housekeeping note, Ryland Rees is ruled as week-to-week by the team with the lower body injury he suffered last week, but he has not yet been ruled out for the season.

Buffalo Bandits (11-4) @ Colorado Mammoth (8-7) – Saturday April 5, 9:00 pm

The 2022 and 2023 NLL Finals participants meet up for their only meeting of the season for the first time since before COVID, as the Bandits head to Denver to take on a hobbled Mammoth team with their eyes on continuing to hold off the Rush atop the unified standings. The Bandits won both games last season.

Calgary Roughnecks (7-8) @ Saskatchewan Rush (11-4) – Friday April 4, 9:00 pm

A win in the second leg of this season’s Battle of the Prairies would give the Rush their first regular season sweep of the Roughnecks since 2018, where they also won in the west final. Calgary has lost 3 of 4 since trading for Nick Rose.

Albany FireWolves (6-9) @ Vancouver Warriors (8-7) – Friday April 4, 10:00 pm

The target win number continues to hover right at 9 to get into the top 8, which continues to mean that Albany will likely need to win out to make the playoffs, and that uphill battle begins with their first trip to Vancouver since April 2, 2022 to put their 3 game win streak on the line against a Warriors team with their own equal streak. While getting to the playoffs is the first goal for the Warriors, games against Toronto and Philadelphia coming down the line means that taking care of business in this game could be huge towards a potential home playoff game to start the playoffs. Adam Levi reported that Alex Simmons is a game time decision.

San Diego Seals (8-7) @ Halifax Thunderbirds (9-6) – Saturday April 5, 6:00 pm

In both teams’ path to the playoffs, this is the matchup with the biggest swings associated with them. A win for the Seals would put them in control their own destiny mode and make it more likely that they avoid the Bandits in the first round, all while not ruling a top 4 seed as well. Halifax has to travel to Buffalo next week, so getting the 10th win this weekend could help get them not only a potential playoff clinch but also a clearer path towards a potential first round playoff home game at the nest. The Seals won last season’s matchup in San Diego and are making their first trip to Nova Scotia since January 18, 2020.

Philadelphia Wings (5-10) @ Georgia Swarm (8-7) – Saturday April 5, 7:30 pm

The Swarm and Wings start a home-and-home the next two weekends, with the Swarm hoping to take care of their own business and follow what has been the status quo the last two months with wins over the Wings, who did win last year’s matchup and 6 of the last 7 matchups with the Swarm.

Toronto Rock (5-9) @ Las Vegas Desert Dogs (3-12) – Sunday April 6, 5:00 pm

It’s not necessarily over yet for the Rock if they can win out, so a chance to continue to push the Desert Dogs down towards the number 1 pick, a pick that they own, will be to their benefit in multiple ways. The Rock won in Vegas last season as well with a 16-11 win on March 1.

(Photo Credit: Micheline Veluvolu)