The No. 4 seeded Vancouver Warriors (11-7) are taking on the No. 5 seed Rochester Knighthawks (10-8) in the first round of NLL playoffs – a team they haven’t faced since their home opener on December 13th. It was the first time the Knighthawks had visited Rogers Arena in 20 years and the Warriors’ first win of the season, topping Rochester 10-7.
The Warriors have made history this season; their 11 wins were the most in team history and their six-game win streak was their longest in team history. They’re looking to use that momentum as they make history in the team’s first playoff appearance.
Since the last time both teams matched up, Vancouver and Rochester have both locked in new No. 1 goaltenders and have had six-game win streaks to end the season. The Warriors acquired Christian Del Bianco at the trade deadline in March, boasting a 6-0 record through the final third of the season.
Rochester netminder Rylan Hartley was placed on the active roster from the injured reserve list on February 1st and since having Hartley back in the lineup, the Knighthawks had six wins in a row from Week 13 to 19 and posted a 7-2 record.
Knighthawks’ faceoff specialist and transition player, Mike Sisselberger missed the first part of the season and wasn’t in the lineup against Vancouver but will be in action this weekend. It will be fun for fans to watch two incredible rookie faceoff specialists go toe-to-toe, both of whom had illustrious NCAA careers which have translated to the NLL.
Warriors’ faceoff specialist and transition player Alex Stathakis earned a Tewaaraton Award nomination as well as BIG EAST Specialist of the Year and BIG EAST First Team in 2024. Sisselberger is a two-time Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Year and a two-time First Team All-Patriot League selection.
Warriors’ General Manager and Head Coach Curt Malawsky says Vancouver is preparing for chess match against a high-powered Knighthawks offence and strong defence, noting he has a lot of respect for the Rochester coaching staff.
“It’s going to be a very tough game and anyone in the NLL playoffs in the first round is tough. We’re just happy we don’t have to travel and it’s back here [at Rogers Arena]. We’ve got some familiarity in our practice times, our hotel, and the little things that do make a difference, but by no means does that mean we have a huge advantage. It’s going to be a tough game, but at least we have an opportunity to play in front of our fans,” Malawsky said.
In the Warriors’ win in December, Keegan Bal had a hat trick, and Vancouver had four goals in transition – two from Jeff Cornwall, and singles from Owen Grant and Reid Bowering. Ryan Martel led Vancouver in points with four assists and Stathakis was 15 of 20 off the draw.
For Rochester, forwards Ryan Lanchbury and Ryan Smith each had a hat trick and transition player Josh Medeiros scored a goal.
The Warriors come into Saturday’s game fresh off an 11-5 win against the Philadelphia Wings. Vancouver secured a 10-3 lead going into halftime and held the Wings off in the second half. Charalambides had six points (2G, 4A) and Bal, Marcus Klarich, Dylan McIntosh and Riley Loewen each added two goals. Christian Del Bianco stopped 35 of 40 shots he faced and Stathakis went 12 for 20 off the draw.
The Knighthawks dropped their last regular-season game to the Toronto Rock 11-10. It was a tight game the whole way, the biggest lead was 5-2 by Toronto early in the second quarter. Lanchbury had six points (1G, 5A), forwards Connor Fields, Smith and Thomas McConvey scored two goals apiece Hartley made 41 saves.
Knighthawks’ transition player and Port Coquitlam’s Ryland Rees was placed on the injured reserve on April 4th and will be a game-time decision on Saturday.
Warriors’ captain Brett Mydske has a long-standing history with the Knighthawks. In 20 games, Mydske has a record of 14-6 against Rochester including his time with the Edmonton Rush and Saskatchewan Rush.
Mydske and Rochester forward Curtis Knight played 115 games as teammates in both Edmonton and Saskatchewan, posting a combined record of 80 wins to 35 losses. Ryan Dilks and Jeff Cornwall also played over 90 games with Knight.
With both teams coming into the matchup on strong back halves of their season it will be an epic quarterfinal matchup as the Vancouver Warriors make history.
Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. PT at Rogers Arena. Join us and be part of history, all ticketing options can be found at vancouverwarriors.com.
REGULAR SEASON STATS
Keegan Bal | notched a franchise record 112 points (43G, 69A) and is the first Warrior to have back-to-back 100+ point seasons.
Adam Charalambides | 84 points (30G, 54A)
Kevin Crowley | 53 points (22G, 31A)
Marcus Klarich| It was a breakout season for the third year forward who had 37 points (21G, 16A) in 14 games.
It's been a season for the record books. 📚
Get an in-depth look at the milestones set this year to set the momentum for the post-season!
PLAYOFF TICKETS | https://t.co/RgXCpwbiS3
— Vancouver Warriors (@VanWarriors) April 24, 2025
Stathakis set a franchise record going 261 of 440 from the dot. With a 59% success rate, he is first among rookies and is fifth overall. Stathakis has also scooped up a team-high 137 loose balls, good for second among NLL rookies. Del Bianco and Aden Walsh have helped the Warriors to a league-best 9.56 goals against average per game, Del Bianco is also posting a league-best 82% save percentage.
A consistent force on the back end, Ryan Dilks is fourth in the NLL for forced turnovers with 31. Owen Grant leads the back end with 24 points (15G, 9A), while picking up 109 loose balls.
For Rochester, Fields led his team through the regular season with 122 points (46G, 76A) and collected a team-high 148 loose balls. Lanchbury tallied 116 points (27G, 89A), and Smith put up 84 points (49G, 35A). Through nine games, Hartley had a .770% save percentage.
New Westminster native and right-handed defenceman Taylor Jensen finished the regular season with 10 points (3G, 7A), picked up 120 loose balls, forced 19 turnovers, and blocked 17 shots.
