By Travis Larner, Knighthawks.com— Tom Montour will now have to hang a quick left when he enters the back hallway of The Blue Cross Arena. After 10 years of making the stroll to the visitor’s room, the newest Knighthawk will now be dressing in the home locker room.

“It’s pretty interesting how things work out,” said Montour. “It’s going to be a little bit different. I guess the good thing about it is I played lacrosse with a bunch of those guys. It won’t be too hard, but it will be a little bit different.”

As part of a series of roster signings, the defending World Champion Rochester Knighthawks have signed the former Buffalo Bandit to a one-year contract.

Montour has spent six of his seasons playing transition for the Bandits, including the last four years. In the past four seasons with Buffalo, he has played in 50 regular season games, scoring 23 goals and 47 assists while collecting 378 loose balls. In the first round of last season’s playoff, he gathered 17 loose balls in a one-point loss to Toronto.

A native of Ohsweken, Ontario, Montour has played for the Major Series Lacrosse’s Six Nations Chiefs since 2004. In 2012, he suited up alongside Knighthawks Cody Jamieson, Alex “Kedoh” Hill, Craig Point, Stephen Keogh and Sid Smith. In 143 games with the Chiefs, he has totaled 121 goals and 146 assists. He also played in the Six Nations junior system with the Junior “A” Arrows and Junior “B” Rebels.

Montour won the 2012 Bowhunter Cup with the Iroquois Nationals on October 12th. He assisted on one goal while scooping up eight loose balls. He also played for the Iroquois in the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships where he earned a silver medal.

He played with Knighthawks rookie sensation Johnny Powless in the Bowhunter Cup and in the 2012 NLL All-Rookie Team selection’s debut with the Chiefs on June 16th. Montour is looking forward to playing with Powless again this season.

“I actually can’t wait to play with Johnny. I like his style. He’s a young kid. I know I don’t have the greatest hands like he does, but he kind of reminds me of kind of myself, a go-getter kind of attitude. That’s the reason why I want to play with him,” said Montour.

In the 2002 NLL Entry Draft, the Toronto Rock selected Montour in the seventh round. He appeared in six games in his rookie season as the Rock went on to win the Champion’s Cup. He spent the next two seasons in Buffalo, playing in a total of seven games. After a year in Portland, the Chicago Shamrox selected Montour in the 2006 NLL Expansion Draft.

The two seasons spent in Chicago were Montour’s most productive. He played in all 32 regular season games. In 2007, he scored a career-high 11 goals and 18 assists while collecting 107 loose balls, second most in his 10 seasons. He put together back-to-back 100 loose ball seasons with 102 in 2008. After the 2008 season, he rejoined the Bandits.

For Montour, signing with the Knighthawks is the beginning to the next chapter of his lacrosse career. He hopes to bring his “hard work, want-to-win attitude, and heart” to the Rochester lineup.
“Yeah, I’m definitely excited. It’s a new start, a new atmosphere.”