It was the season-closing home finale for the Rochester Knighthawks on Saturday night, a game touted as “for the fans.” Plenty of merch giveaways for the packed crowd, but the on-field product wasn’t there…until the second half.
Forward Thomas Hoggarth opened up the scoring with the first strike for either team, but that was the last tally by the Knighthawks until the conclusion of the mid-game break. They’d endure a torrent of goals and found themselves down 9-1 at the half. As the crowd quieted, some even begrudgingly slipped off to the bathroom with their beers.
The second half was a totally different story, the hometown team perhaps rejuvenated by “The Wave.” The Knighthawks would score first in the 3rd Quarter, and finish with seven of the last nine goals to close out the evening. Hoggarth was their bright spot, picking up a hattie (4G, 1A on 11 shots) though Holden Cattoni would score three goals himself.
The final score of 14-11 doesn’t tell the story here; a tale of initial floundering, sustained resilience, sparks of a solid comeback, and the power of Ol’ Mo. The Knighthawks have a date with the Buffalo Bandits — on the road — a week from tonight. With their postseason on the line, who shows up? The “nine unanswered goals” first half, sail-depleting Knighthawks, or the “seven goals over 12 minutes” 4th Quarter, crowd-pumping Knighthawks that left the field with all of the Flower City behind them? Lucky for Rochester, Philadelphia netminder Zach Higgins and his 48 Saves will not be in attendance.
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