NATS GET INTO THE WINTER LACROSSE SPIRIT

Hall built his penguin at the Build-A-Bear Workshop® at Eastview Mall this past Saturday. The Hamilton Nationals midfielder was in Rochester to attend training camp for his indoor team, the Rochester Knighthawks. The team builds bears to benefit CURE Childhood Cancer Association, which will be available via an online auction in March.

 

Hall was joined by his Hamilton Nationals teammates Cody Jamieson, Jarrett Davis, Stephen Keogh and Joe Walters. The Nationals finished the regular season with a franchise-record seven wins, which was good enough for a second-place tie with the Denver Outlaws.

 

When the players are not playing in the pro outdoor league they compete in arenas in the U.S. and Canada in the professional indoor league. In two weeks, the Knighthawks will begin their preseason schedule on Sunday, December 11th with a 1:00 p.m. showdown against the Philadelphia Wings at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, NJ.

 

The game will also feature two of the top Nationals in defenseman Brodie Merrill and Kevin Crowley. Named as the Warrior Defensive Player of the Year for the sixth straight season, Merrill earned his sixth All-MLL Team selection after leading the league with 77 ground balls. In addition, he led all MLL defenders with four goals, including a two-point marker, with 12 assists. Merrill, who completed his seventh season in the MLL, has scored 35 goals, including a pair of two-point markers, with 60 assists in his career. He also ranks second in MLL history with 524 career ground balls.

 

Crowley finished sixth on the Nats with 20 points in 10 games after he completed his college career among the best players ever to play for Stony Brook. The first-round selection (first overall) in the 2011 MLL Collegiate Draft scored 30 goals and added 26 assists this season, totaling 131 goals and 101 assists in 60 career games. Crowley also earned top honors as the No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 NLL Entry Draft, going to the Wings.

 

Nationals and MLL fans can drive down to see some of their favorite players on Saturday, December 17th. That night the Knighthawks will host the Minnesota Swarm in a FREE preseason game at 7:00 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. Tickets are available online at Knighthawks.net. Fans must have a ticket to enter the game. For more information or to purchase season tickets, call (585) 454-HAWK (4295).