NOTHING SWEET ABOUT HOME OPENER
Toronto Rock still searching for first win after 12-7 loss to Knighthawks,
ALL PAIN, NO GAIN The Rock’s Dan Lintner gets all tangled up with Rochester’s Stephen Keogh during NLL action at the Air Canada Centre Thursday night. The Knighthawks won 12-7 to spoil Toronto’s home opener in front of 9,387 fans.
The game started off loudly, entirely fitting for a Toronto Rock home opener.
“Make some noise for the boys!” the public address announcer’s voice boomed throughout the Air Canada Centre.
Cue the songs and cue the action. Unlike hockey, in lacrosse, the drumbeat of music continues during play.
The P.A. announcer’s pleas, however, went unfulfilled as the Rock fell 12-7 to the Rochester Knighthawks in National Lacrosse League play to fall to 0-2 on the season.
The Rock’s best display of firepower came off the fists of Billy Hostrawser, who tangled with Rochester’s Derek Searle as time expired, bringing a roar from the crowd.
The Rock player, who sent Searle to the floor with several open punches to the face, took the unanimous decision.
Afterward, Toronto general manager Jamie Dawick was steamed about the fight.
He said Searle made a “dirty” play from behind when Rochester was ahead by five and the game essentially over.
“I’m glad he got his ass kicked,” Dawick said. “He deserved it.” The crowd, announced at 9,387, didn’t have much reason to cheer until the final quarter, when Toronto closed the margin to 10-7, the closest they had been since the first quarter.
Brett Hickey, a 50-goal man last season, led Toronto with three goals. Cody Jamieson, a former NLL MVP, led Rochester with three goals. He also was a playmaking threat all game.
The Rock lost their opening game by the same 12-7 score to the Georgia Swarm, putting Toronto’s lack of offence under scrutiny.
“We’re clearly work in progress of- fensively,” Dawick said.
The teams play again Saturday in Rochester.
“We’ve put ourselves in a hole here,” the GM said. “We’re going to have to have a better effort or we’re going to dig a deep hole.”
This was an unusual Thursday night game for the Rock, since the Maple Leafs are booked for a Friday night game against the Chicago Blackhawks at the ACC.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, no doubt about it,” captain Colin Doyle said after the loss.
The Rock couldn’t get inside the dirty areas near the goal crease, which was a problem in the opener as well.
“We’ve got to find a way to get there (near the goal),” Doyle said. “I don’t care what it takes. We can’t live from the outside. We won’t compete in this league if we don’t.”
Early on, the Rock didn’t appear game-ready, forcing goaltender Brandon Miller to be sharp.
Rochester quieted the crowd by scoring first. The Hawks continued rolling, extending the lead to 7-2 at the half and with a 30-18 shot advantage.
Toronto trailed 10-6 going into the final quarter, and every time Toronto threatened to make a game of it and get the crowd into it, Rochester responded with a goal.
Rochester’s attackers have amazing agility for their size, allowing them to get behind Toronto’s defence.
Cory Vitarelli, in particular, made moves worthy of a highlight film, flinging himself through the air in front of the cage.
The Rock’s next home game is Jan. 29 against the Georgia Swarm.