A Turn of Events

This past weekend’s first round playoff games undoubtedly proved that results are unpredictable when it comes to the National Lacrosse League.

In the East Division, the Rochester Knighthawks were set to play Philadelphia in Rochester on Saturday. The game was a fight to the finish and the score was nail-bitingly close for most of the game. It was truly unclear which team would come out on top.

Midway through the game, when fans noticed Cody Jamieson’s mysterious disappearance from the game, they started to worry. It was later disclosed that Jamieson suffered an ankle injury and was unable to play for the rest of the game. It was clear when Jamieson left the game that defense would have to step up their game even more and goalie Matt Vinc would have to play at the top of his game, and they did! So much so that defenseman Paul Dawson was able to put the ball past Philadelphia goalie, Brandon Miller, to score his second goal of the season.

The offense stepped up to the plate when they were needed and scored enough to keep Rochester ahead.

Rochester eliminated Philadelphia from the playoffs with a 10-8 win. 
Whether Rochester was going to host a home game or not was the next shock of the weekend of games.

Toronto, the first place team in not only the East Division but the entire National Lacrosse League, hosted the Minnesota Swarm (as a result of the crossover rule) on Sunday. If Toronto won, Rochester would make the trip to the Air Canada Centre to play in the divisional final game. A Toronto loss would mean Minnesota would make the trip to Rochester to play the game, making it Rochester's first time hosting a Division Final since 2007.

Most would think that Toronto, the team that has shown the most success throughout the season, would put up a fight to the death to prove that they were the ones who deserved to move on but the score showed otherwise.

The team that played all season and earned a 10-6 record must have been on vacation because a 20-11 loss was completely unexpected, coming from the team who most thought would play in the NLL championship game.

Rochester is now set to host Minnesota on Saturday, May 4 at 4:00 and the winner of this game will move on the championship game.

Unfortunately, Rochester will not be hosting the championship game if they make it past this weekend due to the fact that both teams left in the West Division have a better overall record but to be able to defend the title would be a great honor and accomplishment!

Make It or Break It

Tomorrow night can make or break the Buffalo Bandits playoff opportunity and if they continue to play the way that they have been, they can kiss that opportunity goodbye.

Many things need to go in Buffalo’s favor in order for them to stay in the running for a post season. They will be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to Washington AND one Rochester win. Buffalo has a 5-9 record and has lost their last 6 games.  To put things into perspective, the last game they won was against Rochester back on February 16^th.

What does this say about the team?  It has been nearly 2 months since Buffalo has had a win under their belt. Many people question whether they even deserve a playoff spot after last weekend’s performance. Minnesota tripled Buffalo’s score with a 7-14 victory.  

If Buffalo wants to be seen in the playoffs, they must win their game against Washington, who secured their playoff spot last weekend and look to secure a first-round home playoff game this weekend. Both teams have incentive to play harder than they have all season.

As if the I-90 rivalry between Buffalo and Rochester is not already intense enough, a Buffalo loss will only help Rochester get that first-round home playoff game and a Rochester loss would keep Buffalo in the running for a playoff. When a Buffalo fan admits to rooting for Rochester for the rest of the season, that says that there is some extreme disapproval from the Buffalo fan-base.

It will be interesting to see how this weekend unfolds for both teams and if you read the blogs, there is sure to be some entertainment between the Rochester and Buffalo fans!

Fight For a Playoff Berth

The Rochester Knighthawks played their final regular season home game last Saturday but if they play their game the way we in Rochester know they can in the double-header weekend ahead, the Blue Cross Arena will open its gates one more time for fans to watch the Knighthawks compete in a playoff game.

After a 14-7 win at home on Saturday, the Knighthawks traveled to Toronto to play the first place team in East, the Toronto Rock. Looking for a clean sweep in the first of two double-header weekends this month, the Knighthawks went into Toronto ready to play as hard as they had the night before and were hoping for another win under their belt. Unfortunately, they were unable to bring that second win home.

No need to worry though! The Knighthawks travel to Alberta this weekend to take on the Calgary Roughnecks on Saturday and the Edmonton Rush on Sunday with hopes that this weekend will secure a playoff berth.

With one win and a Buffalo loss to Washington, Rochester will have a spot in the playoffs. With either two wins OR one win, a Buffalo loss to Washington AND a Philadelphia loss to Toronto, Rochester will have home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

“(There are) no excuses this time of year” said Derek Williams via Facebook. “It’s do or die.”

It looks like the old Rochester-Buffalo rivalry will be at an all-time high this weekend considering if Rochester wins and Buffalo loses, Buffalo will be out of playoff contention.