NLL: K-Hawks, Rock Set for First-Place Showdown
from press release
The Rochester Knighthawks (2-0) continue their three-game road
trip with a stop at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday, January 23rd
against the Toronto Rock (2-0). The 7:00 p.m. contest will be
broadcast live on The Zone 94.1 FM and thezone941.com
<http://thezone941.com> . Fans can also watch the game live
on the NLL Network.
The game is the first of three between the two East Division
rivals. It should have the feel of the old days of this bitter
rivalry with John Grant Jr. (5g, 11a) back in the lineup for
Rochester and Colin Doyle (2g, 14a) back with the Rock. The players
are tied for second in the National Lacrosse League with 16 points
each.
Grant, who missed the entire 2009 season, recorded three goals and
five assists last Saturday in the 13-11 win at Buffalo. His third
goal tied him with Tom Marechek for fourth in NLL history with 399
goals. Shawn Williams also had two goals and three assists, and
Craig Point chipped in four goals and 15 faceoff wins. Williams is
now three assists away from 400 as a Knighthawk. O’Toole
(6,168 career saves) made 33 saves to climb just 188 saves away
from breaking Dallas Eliuk’s league record of 6,356. The win
was the 99th of O’Toole’s Knighthawks career, placing
him one away from becoming the first Rochester goalie to reach the
century mark. The Knighthawks goalie is tied for third in the NLL
with an 8.00 goals-against average.
I have the Power: Rochester is second in the NLL with
power-play efficiency, converting nine of 16 chances (56.3
percent). Grant also leads the league with nine power-play
points.
Head-to-Head: Rochester leads the season series with a
record of 18-9. The Knighthawks, however, are only 4-9 in
Toronto.
Three’s company: Rochester is attempting to
open a season 3-0 for only the second time in franchise history.
The 1998 Knighthawks opened the season with three straight
wins.
Road Warriors: Last season, Rochester was 1-8 on
the road, which included a playoff loss. The Knighthawks have
already equaled their road wins total from last season and can pass
it with a win Saturday.
Rock Notes: Goalie Bob Watson, who is in his 14th
season, leads the NLL with a 6.54 goals-against average. Last
Friday, the Rock edged the Boston Blazers in overtime to remain
perfect. Rookie Garrett Billings netted the game-winner from Doyle
and fellow rookie Stephan Leblanc at 6:37. Doyle and Leblanc are
first and fourth in the NLL in assists, respectively. Leblanc
finished the game with a team-high seven points (2g, 5a). The
rookie, who was the 11th overall pick in this year’s draft,
has four goals and 10 assists in two games. Toronto has the top two
point-producing rookies in the league in Leblanc and Billings (6g,
5a). Doyle is closing in on three milestones this season: 400
goals, 600 assists and 1,000 points. He currently has 386 goals,
595 assists and 981 points. He ranks sixth all-time in goals,
second in assists and third in points in NLL history.
