(December 25, 2012)… With the arrival of Christmas today, members of the Rochester Knighthawks lacrosse team reflected on their favorite gifts, which ranged from goalie masks to hockey sticks. 

Jamie Batson, defenseman
I remember being pretty pumped when I got my first aluminum Easton hockey stick. I was probably eight or nine. It was a big deal moving from a wood stick.

Tyler Burton, defenseman
When I was really young I got one of those electric cars that you can drive around. It was probably of my favorite gifts.

Mike Kirk, defenseman
My favorite gift came the year I doubted Santa. I decided to not tell anyone (parents, brothers, or even Santa at the mall) my gift. But when the morning came, I got just what I wanted: a new black Northmen lacrosse helmet. To this day I've never doubted Santa again.

Craig “Ripper” Rybczynski, Broadcaster
My best Christmas present is something that I still play with today. When I was seven or eight, my parents bought me a Playmobil® pirate ship. It has been in my family for over 30 years and is now one of my son’s favorite toys.

Matt Vinc, goalie
As a hockey goalie growing up, my brother got me a Patrick Roy road hockey helmet. He was seven years older and he painted it for me to look exactly like Patrick Roy’s helmet. That was his start at painting my buckets. It’s one of those presents that I think I wore as long as I could.