Great start for the return of Wings forward Michael Sowers against the Rochester Knighthawks. In the first half, Sowers balled out, putting up 7 points on 4 goals and 3 assists. He found ways to create space, whether off a set screen play or pulling back from a charge to the net to score. Sowers made his presence felt. Brennan O’Neil had a nice night as well, getting 2 goals and 3 assists. Philly came out of the gates with a massive punch, leading 7-3 by the middle of the second quarter.
Mike Hasen Wastes No Time Flipping The Switch
Rochester Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen flipped the switch at the goaltender position in the second quarter, going from Riley Hutchcraft to Rylan Hartley. Hasen sent a message to his team to wake up, and Rochester did just that. By the end of the first half, the Knighthawks went from down 7-3 to a tie game, 8-8.
Rochester doubled up in the second half, putting this game out of reach as Philly’s offense could not keep pace. Leading the way for the Knighthawks were Connor Fields with 3 goals and 5 assists, Thomas McConvey with 3 goals and 1 assist, and Ryan Lanchbury with 2 goals and 5 assists. Wings head coach Ian Rubel also changed goaltenders, as Nick Damude was replaced in net by Deacan Knott. Rochester wins 16-13 over Philadelphia, and their many-headed offensive monster shows why they are ready for a Cup run. Next week, Philly heads to Sin City to face a familiar face in Mitch Jones and the Desert Dogs. Sitting near the bottom of the NLL standings, the Wings need to dial up some wins in the next month in order to stay in contention for a playoff spot.
