The New York Riptide and Rochester Knighthawks will meet in Week 19 with a great deal on the line in this Matchup. The Riptide currently holds the 8th spot in the NLL playoffs, with the Knighthawks close behind at #9. This game will have massive indications on the playoff race on which the team ultimately secures a spot in the playoffs. This game will also feature two of the best scorers in the league, with Jeff Teat and Connor Fields matching up against each other. Fields and Teat were both in the Top 5 for scoring last year and are once again this year at 3rd and 4th in the league. This game will be played at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, on April 6th, 2024, at 7:00 PM EST. This game will be available to watch on ESPN+ & TSN+.\
History Between the Teams:
The Riptide and Knighthawks have met six times in the team’s short history in the league. Rochester leads the series 4-2 after winning both matchups in 2023. The last time the Riptide came to Rochester, the Knighthawks held off a late comeback bid from the Riptide and won the game in Overtime on a Brad Gillies goal. Two of the Riptide’s losses to Rochester have come in Overtime, once in 2021 & 2023. In his five games against Rochester, Jeff Teat has registered 36 points, 12 more than anyone else between the two teams in their matchups against each other.
2024 Season:
The Rochester Knighthawks have been one of the streakiest teams in the NLL in the 2024 season. After opening up the year 3-0 with wins over Calgary, Saskatchewan & Vancouver, they lost their next six games to fall to 3-6 on the season. The Knighthawks bounced back with three straight wins against Panther City and Albany twice to get back to .500, just before dropping their next two games to slide back two games under .500. With four games remaining, the Knighthawks will have a tough task ahead of them, facing three teams in the playoff picture at the moment: NY, Toronto, and Georgia. Rochester’s success has come in bunches this season, so if Connor Fields and company can get hot again, they could find themselves in the playoffs after what the team would consider a very up-and-down year.
The Riptide have been a streaky team at times as well, losing the first three games of the season, winning four in a row in the middle of the season, and then dropping three in a row once again. The Riptide have just three games remaining and will have to win each game to safely secure a spot in the playoffs. Jeff Teat is leading the league with 47 goals in the 2024 season, two ahead of Josh Byrne and four ahead of Connor Fields. The addition of Stephen Keogh during the year has proven to be a positive one for the Riptide, as Keogh has added 29 points this year in just 12 games.
Season Milestones:
Larson Sundown has found his groove in Year 3 as the 27-year-old is fourth on the team in points and has crushed his previous career highs in goals, assists, and points already. Sundown has 28 goals (previous best was 20), 25 assists (previous best was 24), and 53 points (previous best was 38), all with three more games to go. Larson Sundown has found his groove in the NLL, as he is establishing himself as one of the best young scorers in the league this year.
Connor Kearnan and Kiel Matisz are both closing in on career milestones as well. Connor Kearnan is one goal shy of his 100th for his career. Kearnan eclipsed the 100 assists mark earlier in the season and needs just one more goal to reach his 100th goal in his 5th season in the NLL. Kiel Matisz is also closing in on a goal milestone this weekend. The 11-year veteran is just two goals short of 200 in his career. Matisz has 585 points in his storied NLL career so far and will look to add to that Saturday night.
