DULUTH, Ga. (January 19, 2022) – After falling on the road for the second-straight time this season, the Georgia Swarm (1-3) look to snap its losing streak when they face the Rochester Knighthawks (2-1) on the road Friday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 PM.
This weekend’s matchup marks the Swarm’s fourth-straight away contest. Georgia came out victorious when they started its road campaign on Dec. 12 against the New York Riptide but then fell in overtime to the Philadelphia Wings (Jan. 8). They most recently lost by two to the Buffalo Bandits (Jan. 14) after keeping the contest close against the league’s top-rated offense.
The Georgia Swarm is 1-0 against the Rochester Knighthawks as they were an expansion team during the shortened 2019-20 season. Georgia won the lone 2019-20 matchup against Rochester 14-4 on Nov. 30, 2019, in Rochester, N.Y.
Entering the league’s eighth week of play, Lyle Thompson is tied for third in league points totaling 26 (13g, 13a), also ranking second in league goals behind San Diego’s Dane Dobbie (18g, 10a). Thompson has had three-straight multi-goal games, starting with five against New York (Dec. 12), tallying another five against Philadelphia (Jan. 8), and notching two against Buffalo (Jan. 14). Additionally, Thompson assisted 10 goals in the last three games.
Also reaching the top-10 league leaderboard is Kason Tarbell in caused turnovers. Tarbell forced eight turnovers in four games and caused a season best four turnovers against the Wings two weeks ago.
Rochester’s offense is led by Holden Cattoni who tallied 20 points (10g, 10a) in three games. Cattoni leads the squad in points and goals, while Shawn Evans is the Knighthawks’ leader in assists, giving out 11 so far this season.
Defensively, Rochester is led by Chirs Willman’s four caused turnovers and is guided by Evan Kirk in net. Kirk posts a .787 save percentage and totals 85 saves after spending 119 minutes between the pipes.
The Swarm started the season against the Colorado Mammoth scoring on 1-of-7 man-up opportunities. The team then improved on power plays in game two against New York scoring on 5-of-7 power plays. Since December 12, Georgia has been unsuccessful on man-up opportunities going 0-for-5 in power play situations.
We have seen a new face in Vaughn Harris step up in the midfield and handle faceoffs alongside captain Jordan MacIntosh. Harris is 22-for-48 in faceoffs, most recently winning 14-of-19 (73.6%) against the Bandits. Harris also totals one goal, one assist, 10 loose balls, and four caused turnovers this season. MacIntosh and Harris split time taking faceoffs as MacIntosh has won 12-of-27 (44.4%).
Jordan Hall has proved his veteran status early on this season as he averages 4.5 points a game. The 2021 Delaware University Hall of Fame inductee logged three four-point performances and a season-high six points against the Wings on Jan. 8. New Swarm faces helped on offense last week in Buffalo as Thomas Semple recorded an assist and his first professional goal, and Tanner Buck notched two points (1g, 1a).
Georgia’s four-game road campaign concludes in Rochester on Jan. 21 and then squad moves on to play on Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort Field at Gas South Arena on Jan. 29 against the Philadelphia Wings. This game marks the second time this month the Swarm and Wings face off and the first time in 56 days Georgia plays at home.
- Georgia dominated Rochester 14-4 in Blue Cross Arena on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019
- The Swarm started the game on a three-goal run and outscored the Knighthawks 4-1 in the first frame
- Shayne Jackson totaled three goals and one assist in the second quarter; the Swarm shutout the Knighthawks in the second frame while totaling six goals to post a 10-1 halftime lead
- Lyle Thompson and Jackson both had seven-point performances; Thompson recorded four goals and three assists, while Jackson netted a hat trick and dished out four assists
- Mike Poulin ended the game with a .947 save percentage after blocking 36 Rochester shots and allowing only two goals
- Georgia’s offense scored on 75.0% of power plays, and its defense only allowed 2-of-8 man-up goals
Milestones:
- Chad Tutton needs to cause six more turnovers to achieve his 100th career forced turnover
- Jordan MacIntosh needs 25 faceoff wins to pass Stephen Hoar for 4th place in league history with 1651
- Poulin is five wins away from his 100th career win making him the fourth NLL goalie to do so all-time
- Lyle Thompson notched his 200th career goal on January 14, 2022, against the Buffalo Bandits
- Jackson achieved his 600th career point in the first game of the season against the Colorado Mammoth (December 4, 2021)
Where To Watch:
- ESPNU – You can watch this weekend’s game against the Rochester Knighthawks at 6:30PM on ESPNU
- ESPN+ – Use your ESPN+ account (or create a new one) to watch the game live Friday, January 21, 2022 and all season long
- Watch in person at six Gwinnett County Taco Mac locations: Buford, Cumming, Duluth, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville & Suwanee
