John Grant scored three goals and Pat O'Toole turned away thirty-four shots as the Rochester Knighthawks rallied to secure a road win in Ottawa, posting a 14-10 victory over the Rebel.

Just thirteen seconds into the game, Chris Konopliff opened the scoring for the Rebel, and following goals from Mike Benedict, Ryan Painter, Steve Marohl, and Benedict again, Ottawa had put the Knighthawks in a deep 5-1 hole at the end of the first quarter.

Benedict scored the fifth Rebel goal with eight seconds remaining in the quarter, connecting from about fifteen feet right of the net just as he was crossing the goal line. A great goal from that angle but had he been one step further he would have been behind the goal line and the goal would not have been allowed.

The Rebel defense kept the Knighthawks to the outside, forcing the vistors to use most of the shot clock and attempt last-second shots. The Rebel looked like it was on its way to its second home win of the season. They were moving the ball well and getting quality shots at O'Toole.

The second quarter featured more of the same, with Ottawa forcing the Knighthawks to use the full thirty seconds, but in this quarter, the 'Hawks found the back of the net three times and the Rebel only did so once. The feature goal of the game was scored in this quarter by Derek Malawsky. Ottawa's defense was doing a great job, holding Malawsky with his back to the goal and nobody to pass to. With the clock running down, Malawsky used a backhand to lob the ball over his left shoulder into the net. I do not think Andrew Leyshon realised it was in the net until he heard the whistle. At the half, 6-4, Rebel.

Benedict scored for the Rebel thirty seconds into the third quarter and then the Knighthawks began to warm up, scoring three goals in the next three minutes, a pair from D'Arcy Sweet and a great diving goal by Casey Zaph to tie the game at seven. Mike Benedict put Ottawa ahead with his fourth of the night about a half-minute later, but then the penalties took over. Ottawa had players in the box for three of the four Rochester goals that gave the Knighthawks an 11-8 lead at the end of the third quarter. The go-ahead goal that put the 'Hawks up 9-8 came with with two Rebel players in the box and seemed to be the turning point in the contest.

The fourth quarter was nearly even on the scoreboard, with three goals by Rochester and two for Ottawa. Mid-quarter, the 'Hawks were shooting every time they were near the net, with no attempt to set up or use the full thirty seconds. If it was a plan, it worked, keeping the Rebel's minds on defense. Final score: Rochester 14 Ottawa 10.

Both teams can say it was a team effort, with Rochester having eight players scoring and the Rebel having six. Benedict was named player of the game for his four-goal, three-assist evening. He was the strongest shooter as well, firing the ball fourteen times and failing to put the shot on goal only once.

Leyshon also shined brightly for the Rebel, stopping 47 of 61 Knighthawk shots in only his second NLL start. Last week's debut against the Toronto Rock earned Leyshon the Rookie of the Week award -- could another be on the way?

The crowd of 4,654 at Corel Centre was not great but they were loud. The Ottawa fans are becoming "fans" in the fullest sense, even booing the home team at the right times, and for the first time, a noticeable number of fans left early. When Casey Zaph scored Rochester's fourteenth goal, some, but not many, hit the aisles.

BOX SUMMARY
                                      1  2  3  4     TOT
Rochester Knighthawks (3-1)           1  3  7  3  --  14
Ottawa Rebel (1-3)                    5  1  2  2  --  10

ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS         OTTAWA REBEL
               G - A   PTS                   G - A   PTS
Grant          3 - 3     6    Benedict       4 - 3     7
D Malawsky     2 - 4     6    Konopliff      1 - 4     5
D Jacobs       2 - 2     4    Marohl         2 - 2     4
Co Bomberry    1 - 3     4    Evans          1 - 3     4
C Malawsky     1 - 2     3    Roy            0 - 3     3
Sweet          2 - 0     2    Painter        1 - 1     2
Zaph           2 - 0     2    Lawson         0 - 2     2
Williams       0 - 2     2    Plunkett       1 - 0     1
Soudan         1 - 0     1
Abrams         0 - 1     1
Hollenbeck     0 - 1     1
O'Toole        0 - 1     1
Turner         0 - 1     1

Shots on goal           61    Shots on goal           44
Saves made by           34    Saves made by           47
   O'Toole           34          Leyshon           47
Penalties               10    Penalties               11
Penalty Minutes         20    Penalty Minutes         25
Power Play Chances       8    Power Play Chances       6
Power Play Goals         5    Power Play Goals         3
   Grant              2          Benedict           1
   Co Bomberry        1          Evans              1
   C Malawsky         1          Marohl             1
   D Malawsky         1
Shorthanded Goals        0    Shorthanded Goals        1
   (None)                        Marohl             1
Loose Balls             85    Loose Balls             56
   Co Bomberry       10          Leyshon           11
   D Malawsky        10          A Guindon          7
   Sweet              8          Lawson             5
   Williams           8
Faceoffs Won            10    Faceoffs Won            18
   Co Bomberry  ( 5- 8)          Graham       (17- 8)
   Soudan       ( 4- 7)          Konopliff    ( 1- 2)
   Zaph         ( 1- 1)
   Cougevan     ( 0- 1)
   Hollenbeck   ( 0- 1)

   *** STATS OFFICIAL BY VERIFY WITH OTTAWA REBEL ***