NLL Preseason: Titans, Mammoth Routed
from press releases
SIX NATIONS and DENVER -- The Rochester
Knighthawks soared past the Orlando Titans 15-2 in a National
Lacrosse League scrimmage Sunday at the Iroquois Lacrosse
Arena.
Craig Point (2g, 1a) and Cory Bomberry (1g, 2a) led Rochester with
three points apiece, while Peter Jacobs (2g), Gary Gait (2g), John
Grant (1g, 1a), Bobby McBride (1g, 1a) and Mat MacLeod (2a) each
recorded two points for the Knighthawks.
Pat O'Toole earned the win as he left the game with a 5-0 lead
after 25 minutes of action. Offseason acquisition Aaron Bold took
over in goal for the K-Hawks and played the remainder of the second
and the third. Jake Henhawk played the final quarter.
The Titans got third-quarter goals from Josh Coveleski and Jesse
Guerin. Goalie Matt Vinc played the first half for Orlando and
Kurtis Wagar backstopped the Titans for nearly two quarters. Gus
Dingley played the final 6:14 for the Titans.
In what the Knighthawks hope is a sign of things to come, Gait
scored the game's first goal from Grant and Bomberry. The
power-play goal was at 5:34 of the first quarter. Bomberry had a
hand in the second Rochester goal as he fed Scott Evans, who drove
the crease and beat Vinc with a bounce shot at 11:40. Evans and
Grant both missed the 2009 season with injuries.
Grant scored his first and Gait scored his second goal of the
night just nine seconds apart to start the second quarter to put
Rochester up 4-0. Grant took a feed from Mat MacLead and bounced it
past Vinc at the 26-second mark and Gait converted at the 35-second
mark from Steve Toll. Joe Walters extended the lead to 5-0, scoring
off a feed from Bobby McBride at 6:15. Williams made it 6-0 at
14:14 from Grant.
Point opened the third with a shorthanded goal at 3:24 for a 7-0
lead. Orlando and Rochester then each notched two apiece. Shawn
Evans and Point scored for the 'Hawks, while Coveleski and Guerin
recorded goals for the Titans. Wagar played goal in the third and
fourth quarters for the Titans.
Andrew Potter scored his first of the preseason at 2:13 of the
fourth, as he cut to the middle and beat Wagar with a shot to the
left post for a 10-2 advantage. Point picked up his second of the
evening at 5:43 of the fourth. Jacobs collected the 12th Rochester
goal at 6:43 on the power play from Point. Jacobs, Bomberry and
McBride completed the scoring for the K-Hawks.
In Denver, the Colorado Mammoth fell 17-8 to the Minnesota Swarm
on Saturday night. The preseason game, which was closed to the
public, marked just the second outing for Colorado, which is now
1-1 in exhibition action.
Minnesota opened the game with a 6-2 run early in the contest and
finished the game with a 9-2 streak covering the final two-plus
periods. In a game filled with the spirit of a midseason rivalry,
this contest featured several fights between players on the two
clubs.
Colorado was led in scoring by brothers Ilija and Alex Gajic --
who netted two goals each. Cory Conway added a pair of goals while
assisting on two others. With less than two weeks to final roster
cuts, the Mammoth rotated three goalies in net throughout the
night. Andy Leyshon, Curtis Palidwor and Neil Tyacke all saw action
against a feisty Swarm offense that was firing on all cylinders
Saturday.
These two teams will see each other often during the 2010 season,
and face off again Friday, Dec. 18 in preseason action at Pepsi
Center. The Mammoth opens the 2010 regular season on the road
against the Washington Stealth on Jan. 9. The home-opener is one
week later, as Colorado hosts the Edmonton Rush at Pepsi Center on
Saturday, Jan. 16.
