The Vancouver Warriors will play their second game on the road in as many weeks against the Rochester Knighthawks on Friday, January 30 at 7:00p.m. before returning to Rogers Arena next week. The Warriors are coming off of a decisive 12-8 victory in Ottawa against the Black Bears.
Rochester and Vancouver last met in the quarterfinal round during the playoffs last year, eventually leading to a 15-10 win for the Warriors. This will be their first of two meetings during the regular season, with the Knighthawks travelling to play at Rogers Arena the following week.
Their last match-up during the NLL playoffs involved a flurry of offensive performances, most notably by Warriors current point leader Keegan Bal, who had an incredible 11-point night, finishing with five goals and six assists. Forward Adam Charalambides also played a vital offensive role during this game, finishing with five assists. The Warriors showcased the strength of their scoring depth with goals from nine other players, including forwards Marcus Klarich, Ryan Martel, and defencemen Jeff Cornwall, Owen Grant, Reid Bowering, and Ryan Dilks.
The Warriors win in Ottawa against the Black Bears, saw their offensive stars contributing yet another impressive performance, scoring 12 goals out of 40 total shots on goal. They also remained dominant on the defensive side of the game, as they maintain a penalty kill percentage of 75.0 and made nine blocked shots. The defensive performance was backed by yet another great night by goaltender Christian Del Bianco, who stopped 42 of 50 shots and was 84% in the crease.
Bal had a hat trick, while also registering three assists on his six-point night, along with forward Jesse King who had a five-point night, scoring two goals and three assists. Other Warriors players had no trouble finding the scoresheet throughout the contest, with Curtis Dickson, Shane Simpson, Charalambides, each with multi-goal games.
This win was another demonstration of how this Warriors team can consistently play a well-rounded game that makes it challenging for other teams to capitalize on any weaknesses.
The Rochester Knighthawks are coming off an 11-10 loss during a close contest against the Toronto Rock, where they were edged out by a very good goaltending performance from Rock goaltender Nick Rose, who posted a save percentage of 83.0 and stopped 35 of 42 shots on goal. It was Rochester’s second loss of the season thus far, having had an overall strong performance record and currently are 4-2 and third in the league.
Knighthawks point leader Connor Fields remained a key player in their last game, scoring four goals and chipping in two assists, giving him a six-point night. Fields currently has 44 points on the season and has been one of the Knighthawks’ most consistent players.
Forwards Ryan Lanchbury, Ryan Smith, and Kyle Waters were also key contributors, each registering five points against the Rock. Faceoff specialist Nathan Kapp was dominant in the dot, ending the night with a 76.2 faceoff win percentage and collecting 8 loose balls.
The Warriors will be at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York for ball drop at 4:00 P.M. You can watch the game live on TSN+ and NLL+.
With NLL+ you can re-watch highlights and full games throughout the season, and you can sign up for NLL + here.