Knighthawks scored season low six goals in loss to Warriors
- Chris Drummond
- 17 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Christopher Drummond
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Knightha
wks endured their toughest loss of the season Saturday night, falling 16–6 to the Vancouver Warriors in a heated matchup at home.
The defeat marks Rochester’s second straight loss after a narrow setback against the Toronto Rock two weeks ago. Saturday’s contest was the first half of a home-and-home series between the two teams, which will conclude next Saturday when the Knighthawks travel to Vancouver.
Rochester entered the night tied with Vancouver at 4–2 in the standings, but the Warriors quickly asserted themselves following a turning point early in the game. Knighthawks starting goaltender Rylan Hartley was disqualified after delivering a check on a Warriors player who was injured on the play. The incident sparked a fight between the teams that took several minutes for officials to settle.
From there, Rochester struggled to regain momentum.
The Knighthawks did strike first, as Ryan Smith opened the scoring to give Rochester a 1–0 lead, the first of his two goals on the night. However, that would be one of the few bright spots for the home side.
Despite the game remaining close after the first quarter, Vancouver seized control in the second period. Curtis Dickson scored the go-ahead goal — the first of four on the night — and the Warriors never looked back. Jesse King added a hat trick, while Keegan Bal chipped in two goals as Vancouver showcased a dominant offensive performance.
Vancouver’s defense was just as effective, holding Rochester to a season-low six goals despite allowing 51 shots on net.
Connor Fields provided one of the few highlights for the Knighthawks, scoring his 21st goal of the season, which also marked Rochester’s final goal of the evening.
Head coach Mike Hasen addressed both Hartley’s ejection and the team’s overall performance following the game.
“We had to take a deep breath, get grounded, and try to keep a level head,” Hasen said. “We let that linger longer than it should. Defensively, we were out on the floor too often. We were emotionally drained, physically drained, and we were chasing the game the rest of the night.”
Hasen emphasized the need for improvement ahead of the rematch in Vancouver.
“They played at a level that we’re going to have to match when we play next week,” he said. “We were a step behind all night long. I thought we had a good game plan, but we didn’t execute it. We’ll look at the tape, make adjustments, and be ready when we see them again.”
The loss drops the Knighthawks to 4–3 on the season. Rochester will conclude the home-and-home series against Vancouver on Feb. 7 before returning home on Feb. 14 to host the Ottawa Black Bears. Faceoff for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m.