What to watch for vs. Rochester Knighthawks

One Team Will Remain Undefeated

Rochester, NY – The Toronto Rock (1-0) go to battle with the Rochester Knighthawks (1-0) tonight at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY in a matchup of undefeated East Conference foes.  The Rock destroyed Vancouver 19-8 last weekend while the Knighthawks got by Georgia 16-11.

Fans can watch the game vs. Rochester live at 7pm ET on TSN’s digital platforms via TSN.ca and the TSN App.  To stream the game, simply login to TSN Direct with your cable or satellite provider’s credentials or your TSN Direct account info if you’re a subscriber to the streaming service.

Here’s what to watch for in tonight’s matchup.

• The Rock scored more goals than anyone in week one by putting 19 past a pair of Vancouver Warriors netminders. The Rock start fast and will have the ability to put teams away early, something they’ll want to do again tonight in Rochester.
• Newcomers Corey Small (3) and Stephen Keogh (2) combined for five goals in their respective debuts. Challen Rogers, now an O guy, also had a pair of goals for the new look offence. Tom Schreiber, last year’s NLL leader in goals with 47, continued to be Mr. Consistent with 3 goals of his own, and a game-high eight points.
• Nick Rose was brilliant a week ago making 53 saves. His performance didn’t make headlines, but it certainly resonated well with his teammates.
• Sheldon Burns was placed on the IR on Thursday night after suffering a lower body injury at practice on Tuesday night. Jordan McKenna was moved to the Active Roster from the Practice Roster.
• If one thing needs to be cleaned up from game one, perhaps it’s the number of penalties the Rock took. Vancouver had nine power plays and the Rock took 11 minor penalties for a total of 22 minutes.
• Rock Head Coach Matt Sawyer coached his 100^th career NLL game last week. 84 as Rock Head Coach and 16 as Boston’s bench boss back in 2011.
• Rochester added Connor Fields via trade in the offseason from Las Vegas in a deal that went down in the aftermath of the expansion draft. The Western, NY native scored four goals and added six assists in his Knighthawks debut.  Along with Ryan Smith and Curtis Knight, the Knighthawks offence now has some serious depth.
• Rylan Hartley made 46 saves in the Knighthawks’ win, and he might be the next big thing in the NLL goalie union. He has a flair for making the spectacular save and is one of the most agile goaltenders the league has seen in some time.  The Rock will have to finish their chances with purpose to fill the net.

Check out this week’s edition of the Toronto Rock Total Access podcast to get yourself ready for the game.  This week’s show features Toronto Rock Owner, President, and GM Jamie Dawick and Captain Challen Rogers.

Tickets are available for next Saturday’s return home when the Rock host the Buffalo Bandits at 7pm at FirstOntario Centre.  It’s the Holiday Bash and the annual Teddy Bear toss benefitting the United Way and McMaster Children’s Hospital.

For more information on Toronto Rock tickets, please contact a Toronto Rock account executive by phone at 416-596-3075, by email at tickets@torontorock.com or visit torontorock.com.