History: The Blast and Knights are not strangers to one another by any means. Both were original members of the MISL in 2011 and joined the MASL when the MISL folded in 2014. Unfortunately for the Knights, the Blast have been dominate in the majority of their past match-ups. The Knights are 1-7 against the Blast over the past two seasons, their only win coming on January 24th of this year.
The last time the two teams met in the post season, it was back in 2013-14 in the first round of the MISL playoffs. The Knights, who squeezed in as a 4th seed, earning the right to face the #1 seed Blast. After losing the first game at home, the Knights went to Baltimore and snatched Game #2 from the Blast. However, in the Game #3 mini-game, the Blast outlasted the Knights 4-3 and moved on to the Championship. The Blast would go on to fall to the Missouri Comets in the championship series.
Important Players:
Syracuse Silver Knights:
Jer Jer Gibson- A former player for the Blast, Jer Jer has found new success with the Silver Knights. With 17 goals and 6 assists, Gibson is a major threat in front of the goal. Standing 6'2, he uses his size and build to out muscle defenders before unloading powerful shots on net. Look for Gibson to be set up down low and ready to get his foot on the ball in front of the goal whenever he's on the pitch.
Joey Tavernese- In the middle of the season, the Knights found themselves riddled with injuries and a tough slate of games. In order to bring some energy to the team, Tommy Tanner called upon another former member of once rival Rochester Lancers. Tevernese, who was playing in California with the Ontario Fury, signed with the Knights and headed East. Since coming to Syracuse, Tavernese has found his groove. He has tallied 16 goals and 9 assists in just half a season with the Silver Knights. He continues to find ways to get involved on both defense and offense and turn opportunities into actual points. Don't be surprised to find him getting several touches and getting on the score sheet.
Baltimore Blast:
William Vanzela- There is a reason the Blast are the #1 seed in the East. With Vanzela in net, even the best teams have trouble finding the back of the net. This season, Valzela has posted a league leading 2.95 goals against average, allow only 56 goals total this season. With this brick wall in net, there is little question on how the Blast went 15-4. He will surely be a key to victory for Baltimore in this series.
Andrew Hoxie- If he's on your team, you love him. If he's not, you absolutely hate him. Whether it's his great ball skills and goal scoring abilities or his notorious mustache, Hoxie finds ways to get under the skin of his opponents and their fan bases. This year, he has scored 15 goals with 5 assists in Baltimore's astonishing 15-4 regular season run. Ask Knights' fan which player in the MASL they hate the most, most would answer Hoxie. He found ways to slay the Knights when he was with Rochester and he hasn't changed that since moving to the Blast. No doubt he will find a way to be a factor in this playoff series.