Rochester Knighthawks forward Gary Gait was named the National Lacrosse League’s Overall Player of the Week today. Gait netted five goals, including the 600th of his career, in an opening night loss to the Philadelphia Wings, 16-13, at The Blue Cross Arena Saturday night. The game was the first for the NLL Hall of Fame forward since he retired from the sport following the Colorado Mammoth’s loss at Rochester on April 15, 2005. Despite his absence from the league for nearly four years, Gait showed little rust as he scored two of the first three Rochester goals to give the Knighthawks an early 3-2 lead. Gait completed his first hat trick since his final game in the NLL at the 4:19 mark of the second quarter. He would score two more goals, recording his fourth of the night in the second quarter and tallying his fifth in the third frame. His fourth of the night was a historic one, as he became only the second player in NLL history to reach 600 goals, joining Buffalo’s John Tavares. With the five goals, Gait ranks second in league history with 601 goals, third in assists with 495 and second in points with 1,096. Gait and the Knighthawks will get back at it this weekend with a tough two-game road trip. The Knighthawks open the road trip on Friday, January 16th against the defending champion Buffalo Bandits (2-0) at 7:30 p.m. at HSBC Arena.
