by Nick Wershing
Over the weekend, my buddy asked me if I wanted to take the girlfriends out for a lacrosse game. I thought it could be fun so I agreed. We went to the NLL championship game featuring my hometown Rochester Knighthawks versus the Edmonton Rush. Now I am going to be honest; I do not know that much about lacrosse. I have been to a few games, but have not spent any time playing it myself. But I am an avid sports fan, so I understand the basics.
Much to our dismay, the game started out very poorly for the K-hawks, who went into the half down 5-1. It was disappointing seeing the hometown team down by so much. I was thinking to myself, “Well, this is the last LAX game I will go to.” But the second half saw the K-hawks completely swing momentum. In the third quarter, Rochester scored six goals on only 12 shots. The unexpected turn of events had the Rush players looking at each other after each goal wondering what was happening. The excitement of the arena was amazing. I am a diehard fan when it comes to MY teams, but the Knighthawks can hardly be considered my team. I am happy if they win, but could care less otherwise. So when I go to games, I sit and watch, clap when everyone else does, but mostly sit in my chair and enjoy the play. But on Saturday night, I found myself rising to my feet cheering with each goal. I was rooting for players who I had never heard of before that night. I was yelling, “Give it to 88!” which was my way of cheering for Cody Jamieson, who finished with four goals and four assists.
The Knighthawks capped the night winning 9-6, thanks to the second half in which they outscored the Rush 8-1. It was the 3rd title for the Knighthawks, and their first since 2007. The fans jubilation was amazing. I did not know that The Knighthawks had such a following. My girlfriend pointed out a man in the front row who was actually crying. For anyone who has never attended an Indoor Lacrosse game, I say this as a converted fan. Go. It is one of the most exciting games to watch, even for people like me who have no lacrosse background.
Follow Nick Wershing on Twitter: @n_shing
