Duane Jacobs has decided that his time has not yet come.

After hinting at retirement late last season, the Rochester Knighthawks' all-time leading scorer announced after the team's loss to Toronto in the 1999 National Lacrosse League championship game that he was going to play "at least one more year."

As it turns out, the emphasis was on "at least."

"Right now my plans are to play next year," said the 34-year-old sharpshooter on the eve of Rochester's second consecutive championship game appearance against the Toronto Rock at Maple Leaf Gardens tomorrow afternoon.

"That (retirement) was my thought then, but I just look at myself and my play and I think I'm still one of the top two-way players in the league. The way I see it, I'm still a valuable commodity."

On that point, he will get no argument from his teammates.

Though Jacobs scored only 13 goals this season -- his lowest total since getting 10 during an eight-game schedule in Rochester's inaugural 1995 season -- his mere presence in the offensive end creates concern for the opposing defense.

He is a threat to score from anywhere and teams must respect that ability. Thus, they have a tendency to slide his way and when that happens, it opens up shooting lanes for other players.

"He's such a good all-around player, he can do so many other things," said one of Jacobs' linemates, Dan Teat. "When you have John Grant scoring 77 points, we don't need Dewey to score every time he's on the floor."

Despite a demanding schedule in law school at the University of Windsor, Jacobs has maintained his conditioning, and his stick skills remain sharp. And while he may not be scoring as frequently, he continues to do the little things like hustle back to play hard-nosed defense or win battles in the corners for loose balls.

"We have John in there now and he caught fire, and Mouse (Curt Malawsky) and Sudo (Tim Soudan) have stepped up their games," said Jacobs, the league's eighth all-time leading point producer. "Not everybody can score. It's all about sacrifice.

"The most important asset to my team is my attitude, to work hard and go out there and lead by example."

One key factor in Jacobs' low goal total is the absence of Chris Driscoll. The two usually played together on the same line for 6 1/2 years (two in Detroit, 4 1/2 in Rochester) before Driscoll was traded to Buffalo last season.

"It was really tough for me to get the chances this year," said Jacobs. "The quality of my chances weren't there. But look at the guys who are missing. We had Driscoll on my right side who was a prolific passer, then we traded him for Darris (Kilgour) who's an even better passer and we already had chemistry because we play together in the summer."

Jacobs, who has gone through quite a grind studying to become a lawyer, admitted that there have been times when he wondered whether playing lacrosse was still feasible.

Those retirement thoughts he experienced last year crept into his head again early in the season, but when the Knighthawks turned things around and embarked on their current six-game winning streak, Jacobs was rejuvenated.

He had two goals and three assists in Rochester's semifinal playoff victory over Buffalo two weeks ago.

"At times it's tough because when I'm really focused on lacrosse, my grades tend to slip," he said. "It's a very delicate balance.

"But this year, toward the end of the year, it just seemed to be more fun again. Some of the young guys that we got this year helped me kind of re-focus. It seemed like I forgot how fun it was because of school and worrying about getting a job."

Jacobs, who will be playing in his fourth title game with the Knighthawks, is currently finishing a bar admission course, and then he will spend the next year clerking at a law firm.

Because he is a Native American, he can work in the U.S. and he hopes to land a position in Rochester which would make playing for the Knighthawks much more convenient.

"The hardest part for him is not getting to practice," said coach Paul Day. Jacobs' drive is at least five hours from Windsor, so he has only been able to practice occasionally with his teammates and that's another reason for his drop in scoring.

Working here would allow him to practice, and would likely pay dividends in the form of more goals next year.

"If I can get in with a good firm that understands my other passion (lacrosse), I'll definitely play," said Jacobs.

There is no question the Knighthawks want Jacobs to continue playing.

"When you look at him, he's sort of been the franchise," said general manager Jody Gage. "What he brings, not only to the floor which speaks for itself, but what he brings to the room is so important."