Thunderbirds' comeback falls short against Knighthawks

Feb 12, 2023

ROCHESTER, NY (February 11, 2023) -- A late offensive surge from the Halifax Thunderbirds (4-5) wasn’t enough, as they dropped a 16-14 contest to the Rochester Knighthawks (7-2) at Blue Cross Arena on Saturday night. 

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with a pair of Halifax tallies from Eric Fannell and Chris Boushy bookending a three-goal run from the Knighthawks. 

Rochester took a 5-3 lead midway through the second, the Thunderbirds pulled back with goals from Randy Staats and Ryan Benesch. Jake Withers drove the net and collided with Knighthawks starter Rylan Hartley. The defender was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct. From there, Rochester ended the half on a four-goal run, heading into the break with a 9-5 advantage. 

Halifax cut into the lead to open the second half, getting back-to-back markers from Austin Shanks and Johnny Pearson. But Rochester scored four of the final five goals in the frame. Heading into the fourth, the hosts were up 13-8. 

That lead got to 16-9 at the 5:38 mark of the quarter, but Halifax made a big run to end the game. Over a two-minute span, the Thunderbirds scored three times, with Pearson getting his second of the night before Cody Jamieson and Clarke Petterson adding on. Shanks and Jamieson scored twice more to cut the lead to two, but time ran out on the comeback. 

Austin Shanks finished the night with seven points, including a pair of goals, while Eric Fannell also finished with five points (3G, 2A). Staats (2G, 2A), Clarke Petterson (1G, 3A), and Ryan Benesch (1G, 3A) also chipped in with solid performances. 

Connor Fields and Holden Cattoni paced the Knighthawks with eight and seven points, respectively. Rylan Hartley finished the game with 40 saves. 

The Thunderbirds return home next weekend when they welcome the News York Riptide to Scotiabank Centre for a Sunday matinee. Opening face-off is set for 2:00 p.m. AT.