The Georgia Swarm (5-6) travel to New York for the season finale against the Rochester Knighthawks (5-6) on Saturday, March 10. Faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed LIVE at NLL.twitter.com as the NLL Twitter Game of the Week. Fans can also catch the game LIVE via NLLTV.com.
The Swarm is hosting a viewing party for its game against Rochester at Sports & Social at Live! at the Battery Atlanta. The game will be on the 30-foot diagonal high-definition LED screen Saturday night. Swarm hype squad members will be handing out Swarm prizes all game. Fans can come out and enjoy Swarm drink specials and 20% off food.
Georgia split its doubleheader last week and is tied with the Knighthawks in the East Division standings. The Swarm bounced back from a Friday home loss to the Colorado Mammoth with one of their best games of the season against the Toronto Rock on Saturday, taking the season series against the Rock with a 12-7 victory.
During Saturday’s game, Swarm goaltender Mike Poulin and the defense prevented Toronto from scoring for 32:30 min and on any power play opportunities. Assistant captain Shayne Jackson (3G, 2A) and Miles Thompson (2G, 3A) led the team in points with five apiece.
“We made some nice adjustments,” Swarm head coach Ed Comeau said about the Swarm’s penalty kill unit on Saturday which stopped all six Toronto power play opportunities, including a 5-on-3 chance. “We interrupted, altered and blocked a lot of shots, Poulin made some great saves. Full credit to that whole unit penalty kill, they did an excellent job.”
Now the Swarm turns its attention to a Knighthawks team that is riding high. Rochester is coming off three straight wins, one of those against Georgia, which snapped its six-game losing streak. The Knighthawks traded NLL veteran Dan Dawson to the Saskatchewan Rush last week as well, rolling out the same young lineup it did against Georgia a month ago.
Joe Resetarits leads Rochester with 64 points (23G, 41A), followed by Cody Jamieson and his 55 points (17G, 38A). Goaltender Matt Vinc is turning in another solid campaign. In 613:07 min., Vinc has an 11.06 GAA and a .789 SV%.
In the two games against Georgia, Resetarits has 13 points (4G, 9A), Jamieson has nine points (5G, 4A) and Kyle Jackson has eight points (6G, 2A). Vinc has made 78 saves on 92 SOG, good for a 12 GAA and an .848 SV%.
“Rochester’s playing really well,” Comeau said. “We think we’ve been improving, as they have. For us, it’s just trying to build upon what we did and clean up a couple of areas where we have to get a bit better.”
Georgia is led by Jackson and his 53 points (21G, 32A) and Lyle Thompson and his 48 points (19G, 29A). Poulin this season has a 12.47 GAA and a .766 SV% in 620:41 min. of action.
Against Rochester, the Swarm has had most of its damage dealt by Lyle with 10 points (5G, 5A) and Jesse King’s seven points (5G, 2A). Poulin spent 93:46 min. between the pipes during the two matchups and made 53 saves on 84 SOG, posting a 13.44 GAA and a .631 SV%.
Both teams are still in the thick of the playoff race in the East Division, but a win on Saturday can decide the season series between the two and who would have home floor advantage if the two met in the postseason. With so much riding on Saturday’s contest, expect both teams to bring their A-game.
“We’ll have our hands full, especially playing in Rochester,” Comeau said. “At the end of it all, we’re focused on us, focused on us being better as a team.”
Georgia returns to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Field at Infinite Energy Arena on Sunday, March 18 to take on the Buffalo Bandits. The Swarm will be hosting its third annual Heroes Night presented by Axiom Corporation. In honor of our nation’s heroes, the night will feature a 12-minute musical military tribute at halftime and a postgame performance from Wolfy’s America. Faceoff is set for 4:05 p.m. ET.
Early arriving fans will receive a camo rally towel courtesy of Axiom Corporation. Fans can purchase tickets at GeorgiaSwarm.com/Heroes or by calling 844-4-GASWARM.
