(November 24, 2012)… On the same day the Rochester Knighthawks announced the signing of a one-year deal with former NLL MVP Casey Powell, they kicked off the first day of training camp.
(Photos by Larry Palumbo)

Powell said it felt great to get back out on the field, especially for the World Champion Knighthawks stating, “It’s exciting.  I’ve come a long way since I played here in 1999 and 2000 and I am excited about the opportunity to play for the defending champions and to play in front of my former Syracuse fans and family.  It was a great first start here and a great first camp and I am just excited to get underway."

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Jordan Hall gives an update
Photo Gallery

The team began the day with fitness testing from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., which consisted of various drills and physical examinations of the players. Overall, the Knighthawks staff was impressed with the pace of the drills and the physical fitness of the players.

After fitness testing, nearly 40 hopefuls competing for just 26 roster spots on the 2013 Rochester Knighthawks team took a quick break and then met up again for their first practice. The atmosphere was tense and the players were clearly putting forth their best effort, as the Knighthawks are looking to defend their 2012 World Championship title this upcoming season. Rochester Owner and General Manager Curt Styres stood among the crowd of Knighthawks fans watching and evaluating each and every player, making mental notes as they scrimmaged on the turf beneath him.

There were some new faces in Knighthawks jerseys that Styres and the coaching staff had their eyes on during the first training camp practice. Both recently signed free agents, Tom Montour and Ian Llord were both players the coaches were watching closely. Also new to the Knighthawks community were Mark Farthing, Josh Kacprzak, Miller Rusbridge, and 2012 Draft picks Cody Hawkins, Chris Attwood, Cody McLeod, and Matt Hummel.

Knighthawks Head Coach Mike Hasen was pleased with the first day of camp and the talent he saw on the field stating, “Today went well. It was a long day for the guys. You know they had to get up at the crack of dawn for physicals and stuff like that, but they performed very well and it was high tempo right from the start and it was good to see so far. For tomorrow, we told these guys we need to be better every time we’re on the floor. They have to find another gear tomorrow, they need to push guys around, and really fight for these spots.”

The Knighthawks have their second and last training camp practice tomorrow, Sunday November 25th at 8:00 a.m. The practice will go until 10:00 a.m. at Total Sports Experience in Gates and is free and open to the public.