(July 10, 2012)… Rochester Knighthawks forward Cody Jamieson has found his scoring touch again in the outdoor game. Last Saturday, he notched a career-high four goals and five points for the Hamilton Nationals.

The Nationals were edged 15-13 by the Boston Cannons in Ron Joyce Stadium at McMaster University, but the efforts of the Knighthawks players on the Nationals roster were noticeable. In addition to Jamieson’s performance, Hamilton got big efforts from Joe Walters (0+4) and Stephen Keogh (1+2). Despite the loss and a 2-6 record, Walters put the season in perspective.

“It’s important for the team and organization to stay positive,” said the MLL veteran. “This is a highly-competitive league. Any team can be beaten on any given night. Our backs are against the wall, but I believe in the guys we have. Now it’s time to prove it to the league and play with that chip on our shoulder.”
 
Hamilton used a great second half in 2011, which led the team into the MLL Finals. Saturday was a rematch of that title game won by Boston 10-9. The Knighthawks players, who won the NLL Championship in May, powered the Nationals’ offense throughout the game on July 7th.

Early in the first it was Jamieson and Keogh who capped off a Hamilton rally to tie the contest at three. A great pass from Keogh to Jamieson at 6:52 made it 3-2, as Jamieson beat Jordan Burke to the far side. Jamieson then set up Joe Resetarits for a bounce shot goal at 9:26 to tie the game. After falling behind 4-3, Hamilton evened the game at four on a three-way passing play that led to Jamieson’s second of the game at 3:58 of the second. It was Keogh’s turn at 5:44, as he scored a man-up goal to give Hamilton its first lead at 5-4.

In the fourth, with Boston ahead 10-8, Jamieson completed the hat trick to trim the deficit to 11-10. As the teams traded goals, Walters assisted on the final two Hamilton goals. The first by Jamieson, his fourth of the game, made it 13-12. Walters then fed Billings on the left wing side as he ripped a shot under the crossbar to bring the Nats to 14-13. Walters tied his season high with four assists and became the first National to reach 50 assists.

Hamilton will return to action with back-to-back games against the expansion Ohio Machine on Friday, July 13th and Saturday, July 14th. It is a key weekend for the Nationals, who are two-and-a-half games out of the fourth on final playoff spot.

“We have a huge opportunity this weekend with two games. We need to come away with both wins and get our streak going,” said Walters. “The crazy thing is, at 2-6, we control our own destiny. There is still a lot of lacrosse to be played, and a lot can happen.”