Boston Blazers vs. Rochester Knighthawks
As the Boston Garden lights darkened and the sounds of bagpipes wafted through the stadium, Boston Blazer fans knew it was going to be an experience to remember. After the music stopped, all eyes were drawn to the jumbo-tron hanging above the center of the field, where a compilation of scenes from around Boston, including videos of several Blazer players visiting various Boston sites, were playing. When the screen turned black, a voice boomed throughout the stadium announcing that the hometown Boston Blazers were coming onto the field. As the names of all the players were called and they ran though a gauntlet of the Sparks, the Blazer cheerleaders, young fans, and Scorch, the team mascot, cheers were heard echoing around the stadium. After this dramatic entrance, the opposing Rochester Knighthawks ran out onto the Blazers’ field with little fanfare. When things settled down, the national anthem was performed and then Red Sox Hall of Famer Jim Rice came out with several others to take part in the ceremonial first face-off. Once the pre-game routine ended, the players put on their helmets, with the Blazers knowing that they needed this win to even their record and tie for third place with Rochester.
That night at the Garden was “Hero’s Night.” The Blazers honored veterans, firefighters, and other community heroes. Around the stadium, you could see several members of the armed forces, police, and fire departments. Goalie Anthony Cosmo came on the jumbo-tron and described how one of the bonuses of being the goalie was that he was able to design his own helmet. He explained how he had based his design on that of a firefighter’s, with a Boston firefighter helmet at the top and a fire and gas mask at the bottom.
As the game commenced, Rochester won the opening face-off. At only 2:15 into the game, Rochester’s Craig Point added his twelfth goal, allowing the Knighthawks to take an early lead. Less than ten seconds later, the Blazers returned the favor with a goal by defenseman Matt Abbott. As the first quarter went on, the Blazers tallied one more score and held Rochester to only that first goal. Rochester then scored a goal, causing, with less than one second left in the quarter, a scuffle to break out. After review, the goal was called back because of possession in the crease, and the Blazers took their 2-1 lead into the second quarter.
After a low-scoring first quarter, the Blazers came out firing on all cylinders in the second. 56 seconds in, Paul Dawson scored his first goal of the season and increased the Blazers’ lead to two. Only a minute and 59 seconds later, after a run from the corner and a bounce shot through the legs of the Rochester goalie, “Dangerous” Dan Dawson added his ninth goal of the season, giving Boston a 4-1 lead. Shawn Evans of the Knighthawks proved a continuous problem for the Blazers; a chippy little guy, Evans was constantly trying to annoy the Blazers’ players. A few hard hits later and the Blazers silenced him for most of the rest of the game. About halfway through the second quarter, goalie Cosmo picked up his fifth assist of the season with a tremendous field length pass to a streaking Dan Dawson, who beat the struggling Rochester goalie. Not only did Cosmo get the assist, but he also saved 14 of 16 shots in this quarter to give Boston a 6-3 lead going into the half.
During the halftime show, America’s heroes were honored when former lacrosse players and graduates of the Air Force Academy and West Point battled it out in a relay race. Army came up victorious after some joking controversy over their play.
The third period started with a quick Blazers’ goal by Nick Cotter only 16 seconds in. Two more goals were added by the Blazers, including a power play goal by Daryl Veltman, who placed a quick, hard shot over the Rochester’s goalie’s left shoulder with pinpoint accuracy. About 4:50 into the quarter, Rochester’s coach, looking to spark his team, switched goalies and put Pat O’Toole between the pipes. After a weak shot by the Knighthawks trickled through the legs of Cosmo, Rochester went into the fourth quarter down 9-4.
After the break, Rochester came out flying, scoring four goals in about five minutes, while Boston was only able to net one goal, which cut the Blazers’ lead to 10-8. Just when it seemed like the momentum had shifted to Rochester, a two minute cross-checking penalty on Rochester’s Kyle Laverty took the wind out of their sails. The Blazers seemed to catch fire and scored four quick goals. One of those goals was an empty-netter, and another came with only 24.6 second left in the game. Two of these goals were scored by newcomer Jamie Rooney, who had been traded from the Rochester Knighthawks the Wednesday before the game. In the last minute, Rochester’s Scott Evans, Shawn’s brother, was ejected from the game for roughing and fighting. Once the final whistle was blown, Blazer Goalie Cosmo had 42 saves for the night and moved to the third best save percentage in the league.
In post game interviews, Coach Tom Ryan commented that the key to the game was effort. He praised his team for their character and commented that many players exhibited the type of leadership necessary to lead the team to a win. Coach Ryan stated, “We all know Coz [Cosmo] is the best goalie…he really bailed us out at some points.” In his post-game interview, “Dangerous” Dan Dawson observed that he felt newcomer Rooney did a great job. “Jamie had to learn all the plays last night…and he took a little while to get going on the game sheet, but he was getting those loose offensive balls, and those are the intangibles that don’t come up on the game sheet.” Jamie Rooney added that he just wanted to come and “be part of the puzzle” and not be a distraction. The Boston Blazers have evened their record to 3-3 after a 0-3 start. Dawson observed “starting out 0-3 was tough but…it was great to get back to 3-3.” The Blazers travel to Rochester for their next game. Dawson recognized that the game will be hard, but the team just has “to keep going from here.”
Garrett Callahan is a junior at Marblehead High School
The Blazers Beat is a student reporter program which provides high school students access to the Garden on game nights. Students will receive a media credential for a game of their choice, access to the post-game player and coach press conference and can write a game recap which the Blazers will help to publish with their local papers. For more information, contact Krista Olson, Marketing & Event Operations Manager at krista@blazerslacrosse.com.