ROCHESTER NY – If there was any doubt that Cody Jamieson was ready to play after a torn achilles tendon during last year’s National Lacrosse League playoffs, they were dispelled only 19 seconds after the opening faceoff in Saturday’s Rochester Knighthawks home opener.
Although the Knighthawks lost the game 16–14, the healthy return of Jamieson was the positive aspect that Coach Mike Hasen wanted to take away from the game.
“First shift, first goal, that’s a statement,” said Hasen. “He’s ready. We knew he was ready. He’s been working hard and he’s going to be good this season.”
Jamieson seemed a bit relieved himself at how well he felt after months of intensive rehabilitation during the off-season. He went on to rack up a seven point game with two goals and five assists.
“Personally I feel great, health-wise,” Jamieson said, but quickly turned the attention to the team. “Offensively we had some good times. We went through some good minutes where we did everything right, but we’ve also got a lot to work on.”
A home opener win would have been nice, however, it is still very early to worry about.
“This is game one of a long 18–game schedule,” he said following the game.
Along with Jamieson’s input, Dan Dawson and Cory Vitarelli each posted hat tricks, while Stephen Keogh and Graeme Hossack scored two each, and Jordan Hall and Joe Resetarits each contributed to the scoring with a goal.
Overall, Hasen was pleased with what he saw in Game #1.
The Knighthawks caught fire, putting up nine goals in the second half but it wouldn’t be enough to take the points.
“Every year we start new and we start fresh,” said Hasen. “We put the past in the past. We’re just going to make sure that we play our best every time and make sure the next shift is better than the last shift. We had a really good start and were full of energy. One good thing about it was we turned it around in the second half. We kept it close and we had our chances so moving forward there are a lot of good things that will come.”
Fans will get to see Jamieson and the K-hawks in action Thursday, Jan. 14th at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto as they take on the Toronto Rock. The teams will meet again as Rochester hosts the Rock on Saturday Jan. 16th at 7:30 p.m. at Connors & Ferris Field.
