Two of the National Lacrosse League’s all-time leading scorers, John Grant, Jr., and Gary Gait, will lead the Rochester Knighthawks (4-3) into the Wachovia Center to face the Philadelphia Wings (1-5) on Saturday, February 20 at 7 p.m.

The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive rally towels provided by Lampire Biological Laboratories, located in Pipersville Pa.

Grant Jr., whose father, John Sr, played for the Wings from 1974-75 and again in 1987, is sixth on the all time list with 853 points (412G, 441A). Gary Gait, a former Wings All-Pro, is second on the all time list with 1,147 points (628G, 529A).

“I definitely get extra fired up when we play the Wings, especially in their barn,” said Grant Jr. “The infamous Philly fans are relentless, and are always in my kitchen.  I have relished the few times we have quieted that place.”

Series Notes:

Overall:  Rochester leads15-18

At Philadelphia: 10-7
At Rochester: 5-11
Last Meeting: April 18, 2009, Rochester won at home 11-8

About the Knighthawks:

The Knighthawks (4-3) are currently second in the NLL's Eastern Division. They are sixth in the League on the power play, converting on 42% of their opportunities, and fourth in the League in killing power plays 61% of the time. The Knighthawks are 1-3 on the road this season.

Grant Jr. leads the KnightHawks with 42 points (18G, 24A), followed by Shawn Williams with 27 points (7G, 20A). Gait has 19 points (10G, 9A). Rochester has used two goalies in their seven games. Pat O’Toole has a goals against average of 11.03 per game and Aaron Bold has a goals against average of 10.58.

About the Wings:

The Wings, (1-5) are currently sixth in the Eastern Division in the NLL. Philadelphia is 10th in the League on the power play, converting on 30% of their chances, and eighth in the League killing 53% of the power plays against them. The Wings are 1-2 at the Wachovia Center.

Kyle Wailes leads the Wings with 25 points (10G, 15A), followed by Drew Westervelt with 23 points (10G, 13A) and Mat Giles with 22 points (9G, 13A). Wings goalie Brandon Miller is second in league with 221 saves on the season. 

Coaches Corner:

Wings General Manager and Head Coach David Huntley:

“Last week was certainly a big improvement over the Toronto game, and I was pleased with how our guys bounced back from what was a disappointing effort for all of us up in Toronto” said Wings GM and Head Coach Dave Huntley.  “We bounced back and got off to a great start, and they brought Angus Goodleaf in and he was terrific. That turned the momentum around for them. They scored some goals and we just didn’t have enough to answer. Overall, I was pleased with the effort we gave.”

“Our guys can all do the math” said Wings GM and Head Coach Dave Huntley. “We’re 1-5. We’ve got to get a win. I have confidence the guys on our team know that and will give a good effort.”

“We have a defensive scheme that we try and execute every game” said Wings GM and Head Coach Dave Huntley. “Obviously they have some very talented guys and there is a lot of weapons there. I think the biggest key for us will be to stay out of the penalty box and if we don’t make any unnecessary fouls we should be in good shape. We just can’t take penalties and give them power play goals.”

Knighthawks Head Coach Paul Gait:

“You can never take a team lightly, even if it’s 1-5 in this league” said Rochester Head Coach Paul Gait.  “They want to win as much as anyone in the league and on any given night if they put in the right effort they are just as dangerous as a 5-1 team.”

“The game last week was really about penalties for us” said Rochester Head Coach Paul Gait.  “We need to stay out of the penalty box and we want to make it easy for ourselves down the stretch. We played much of the first half shorthanded and that kept our offense on the bench and made for a difficult situation.”

“We will make an adjustment to our travel schedule and get in the night before, so we are hoping that makes a difference” said Rochester Head Coach Paul Gait.  “This should give the guys some time to focus all day prior to the game. Other than that, we just need to stick to the game plan we’ve had all year and the way we execute at home, we need to do that on the road.”