Thunderbirds Look to Keep Building Momentum Against Rochester

December 20, 2019 By: Dan Leo

After a dominating win in the franchise opener two weeks ago against New York, the Halifax Thunderbirds look to keep rolling on Saturday night against the new look Rochester Knighthawks.

Fast play and strong defense were the Thunderbirds keys to success in their home opener, and they’ll look to carry that into the coming game against Rochester. Scoring the first goal of their inaugural season just 10 seconds into the game, the Thunderbirds displayed a high-powered offense that can take advantage of a Rochester defense that looked weak in their first game against the Swarm. With Austin Shanks and Stephen Keogh each scoring twice and Cody Jamieson notching 3 assists, the Knighthawks will have a tough time slowing down this high-flying Thunderbird offense.

With such a promising start to the season, the Thunderbirds aim to keep the momentum going. Halifax’s defense stood strong in their first game, led by Graeme Hossack and Warren Hill in net, allowing only 4 goals. After the Knighthawks only tallied 4 goals in their first game under new ownership, the Halifax defense will look to exploit favorable matchups.

“We have to continue to work hard and grow as a team,” said Assistant Captain Graeme Hossack. “We are a young group that’s going to keep learning. As long as we are pushing ourselves, we will keep getting better.”

The Knighthawks will have a tough battle ahead, coming into a Scotiabank Centre that had a sellout crowd with unmatched energy last game. The Halifax Thunderbirds home stadium has very quickly become the hardest place for opposing teams to play.

“My favorite part about Halifax so far is how excited the fans have been and the atmosphere for the home floor. And I know they will get even better as the season progresses,” said Hossack.

This will be the first of three meetings between the Thunderbirds and the Knighthawks this season. With both teams in the North Division and after the Thunderbirds relocated and rebranded from Rochester, this series will almost certainly become a rivalry going forward.

Faceoff is at 7:00pm AST/6:00pm EST in the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The game can be watched on B/R Live.