The New York Riptide will make their first trip away from the Nassau Coliseum this season as they travel up to Toronto on December 30th. The Riptide and Rock faced off last season two times, with Toronto winning both matchups by eight goals. This game will begin at 4:00 PM EST at the FirstOntario Center in downtown Hamilton. This game will be broadcast on ESPNU as well as available to watch on TSN as the “TSN Game of the Week.” Live stats and updates will be available on the Riptide’s Twitter account @newyorkriptide.
2023-2024 Season:
The New York Riptide will hit the road for the first time this season in search of their first win. The Riptide dropped their first two games of the year to Philadelphia and Halifax, both at home. One positive note comes from Kiel Matisz, acquired in the offseason from Philadelphia. Matisz leads the Riptide with 5 goals through 2 games and has emerged as a clear vocal leader on the floor. Cameron Dunkerley has been solid through two games after taking over the starting duties in goal this season, making 67 saves and boasting a save percentage of over 70%.
The Toronto Rock will play in just their third game of the season after collecting a win against Panther City last Friday 13-10. Panther City took the lead early in the fourth quarter until Mark Matthews played spoiler, tying the game up and then retaking the lead on his third goal of the game just 19 seconds after tying the game. Toronto went on to score the final four goals of the game to remain undefeated. Nick Rose was a bright spot as usual for the Rock, making 43 saves and collecting his second win of the season.
History Between the Teams:
The two teams met twice during the last season, once on Long Island and once in Toronto. The Rock emerged victorious in both meetings with the Riptide, winning the initial game on Long Island 15-7, thanks to a hat trick from Stephen Keogh and a 5-point performance from Captain America, Tom Schreiber. The rematch in Toronto showcased an increased number of goals, although the results were unchanged; Toronto secured victory by 8 goals once more, 22-14. Reilly O’Connor achieved a personal milestone of 8 assists in that contest for the Riptide but was outshone by Tom Schreiber, who tallied 12 assists and 15 points. Jeff Teat also recorded double-digit points in the matchup in Toronto, scoring 5 goals to go along with 7 assists on the night.
New Additions:
The Riptide made a splash on Thursday by acquiring Stephen Keogh from Rochester in exchange for Goaltender Kevin Orleman. After a storied career at Syracuse University, Stephen Keogh has spent the last twelve years in the NLL, compiling over 450 points. Keogh played for the Toronto Rock in 2022, scoring 26 goals to go along with 28 assists. Throughout his career, Keogh has averaged 2.99 points per game and will be a great addition to the offense on the right side.
Season Milestones:
Jeff Teat currently stands five goals shy of his 100th career goal. With 34 games played thus far, Teat averages approximately 2.7 goals per game in his career. In this matchup, Teat will be aiming for a victory and a 5+ goals performance to achieve this milestone. Connor Kearnan is also on the verge of setting a milestone of his own. He is just five assists away from reaching 100 and has already recorded five assists in two games this season. A notable milestone awaits Jay Thorimbert, who is 35 faceoff wins short of reaching 3,000 in his career. As the current NLL leader in faceoff wins in a career, Jay aims to become the first player to ever win over 3,000 faceoffs in the National Lacrosse League.
On the other side, once Challen Rogers checks into this game for the first time he will inch closer to a significant career milestone, having only two games remaining to reach the 100-game mark. The second overall pick in the 2016 draft, Rogers has earned two NLL Transition Player of the Year awards in his career, along with multiple All-Pro league selections. Dan Lintner is also closing in on the 100-game milestone. Following this evening’s contest, Lintner will need just one more game to surpass the 100-game plateau in his decorated career. Lintner began his career with Toronto in 2016, ventured to different teams, and ultimately returned to where it all started in Toronto this year.
