Knighthawks Fall to Roughnecks 13-7, Miss Key Opportunity in Playoff Race

Rochester Knighthawks goalie Rylan Hartley duringthe first half of Sunday’s action against the Calgary Roughnecks

By Christopher Drummond

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Knighthawks squandered a key opportunity in the playoff race Sunday afternoon, falling 13–7 to the Calgary Roughnecks at Blue Cross Arena.

Coming off an emotional win against the league’s top team by record, Rochester struggled to carry that momentum into Sunday’s matchup against Calgary. The loss drops the Knighthawks below .500 at 5–6 and out of the current playoff picture in the National Lacrosse League standings.

Rochester struck first when Jeremy Thompson scooped up a loose ball on a breakaway and scored unassisted, giving the Knighthawks an early 1–0 lead. It marked Thompson’s second goal of the season.

Calgary quickly responded.

The Roughnecks scored five unanswered goals over an eight-minute stretch to seize control of the game and take a 5–1 lead by the end of the first quarter. While Calgary held only a 15–10 shot advantage, their efficiency proved decisive.

The second quarter brought more trouble for Rochester. Calgary added two more goals to extend the run to seven straight, building a commanding 7–1 lead midway through the period. The Knighthawks’ starting goaltender was pulled during the surge, and the crowd at Blue Cross Arena grew quiet as the deficit widened.

Rochester finally snapped the run when Ryan Lanchbury scored his 16th goal of the season to cut the deficit to 7–2. The teams traded goals down the stretch of the half, but Calgary answered just 10 seconds after Grayden Hogg netted his eighth goal of the year, maintaining firm control.

Despite outshooting Calgary in the second quarter, Rochester continued to struggle against the Roughnecks’ precise offense.

Calgary extended its lead early in the third quarter behind a big performance from scoring leader Tanner Cook, who recorded his 28th, 29th, and 30th goals of the season.

The Knighthawks showed signs of life with goals from Zed Williams and Ryan Smith, cutting the deficit to 11–5. Smith’s tally marked his 22nd goal of the season, while Williams recorded his 16th.

Rochester capitalized on a power play late in the third quarter when Thomas McConvey scored his 20th goal of the season to trim the gap to five. However, the Knighthawks were unable to carry that momentum into the final quarter.

Calgary sealed the victory in the fourth, handing Rochester its second loss during the current three-game homestand and its fifth defeat in the last six games.

Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen said the team failed to bring the necessary energy early in the game.

“You have to give them a lot of credit,” Hasen said. “We didn’t come out with the energy that we needed to come out with this game. I thought we did a better job of coming with that energy in the second half. This was a missed opportunity 100 percent. You try not to look at the standings, but everyone looks at them. We still control our destiny. We’ve got Las Vegas two weeks in a row, and we’re in playoff mode. This will be our season.”

Smith, who led Rochester with two goals, said execution was the biggest issue.

“You can’t play 30 bad minutes in this league and expect to win,” Smith said. “I thought Calgary executed their game plan, and we didn’t make enough plays. It’s not up to the coaches—it’s up to us players to execute. We just got outworked tonight, plain and simple.”

The Knighthawks will now head on the road for five of their final seven games, beginning next Saturday against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.