Photo: Micheline Veluvolu
Jake Piseno made history Saturday in Halifax. The Liverpool, NY, native became the first Upstate Collegiate Box Lacrosse League grad to play in a National Lacrosse League regular season game for the Rochester Knighthawks.
Piseno is the most recent player to make the leap from the UCBLL to the NLL, joining Hunter Lemieux (Philadelphia), Christian Watts (Buffalo/Halifax), Kaleb Benedict (Georgia), Austin Blumbergs (Halifax), Grant Breyo (Georgia), and Luke Pilcher (Las Vegas).
"It is definitely a game I will remember forever," said Piseno. "My first-game jitters are gone. You never want to be in that situation in a one-goal game, but you love it when you end up on top."
Photo: Trevor MacMilla
Piseno not only played in the game but was also a major contributor to the Knighthawks' thrilling 10-9 road win against the Halifax Thunderbirds. The Knighthawks' rookie transition man finished his debut with six loose ball recoveries, two caused turnovers, and one shot on goal. That one shot on goal sent the Knighthawks' bench into a frenzy.
Piseno picked off a pass in the near corner of Rochester's defensive zone and sprinted the length of the floor. He raced in on veteran goalie Warren Hill and ripped a shot into the net for his first professional goal. The power-play marker gave the Knighthawks a 4-3 lead early in the second quarter.
"I knew I was going all the way when I picked that pass off," said Piseno. "I just snuck it by him. Warren (Hill) is a great goalie. I just put it where he wasn't. I kind of blacked out. It was excitement through the roof. I am glad it went in."
After three quarters, the Knighthawks fell behind 8-5 but stormed back to outscore the Thunderbirds 5-1 in the fourth quarter to capture a one-goal win. Rochester used a defensive stand in the final 30 seconds to hold on to the victory.
After the game, Piseno was awarded the ball from his first goal and then received the Player of the Game ball from Head Coach Mike Hasen. Hasen, who moved into fifth place in the NLL with 108 wins, was very impressed with the play of the 2023 draft pick.
"I liked his energy. It was infectious," said Hasen. "We wanted to close gaps and make it harder on their offensive guys, and he was doing that. He was reading the plays well and picked off a couple of passes."
The Knighthawks knew they were getting an extraordinary player when they selected Piseno in the third round (35th overall) of the NLL Entry Draft. The season before heading to Rochester, Piseno won the William C. Schmeisser Award as the top defensive player in Division I men's lacrosse in 2024. In his final season at the University at Albany, he collected his second-straight America East Defensive Player of the Year honor. Piseno was also named the America East Championship's Most Outstanding Player. He was named a First Team All-American for the third time, as well.
Having played field lacrosse his entire life, Piseno decided to take his game indoors in 2023. That summer, he joined the Hawkeyes at the end of the regular season after earning All-World and Best Defender honors at the World Lacrosse Championship in San Diego. The Haudenosaunee standout helped the Hawkeyes repeat as Mearns Cup champions. He also made an impression at the National Collegiate Box Series National Championship, earning First Team All-Star honors for the second-place Hawkeyes.
The Albany standout learned the nuances of the box game from coaches and Knighthawks defensemen Dan Coates and Ryland Rees. Before Saturday's contest, Rees was there again to provide some advice for his former Hawkeyes star.
"I talked to him. He has played at the highest level; he has played in Worlds," said Rees. "I told him, ‘Just go out and play. You have earned your chance to get on the floor. Don't be nervous. Just go out and play hard.’ That's what he did. He got his first goal and did a great job on defense. He was a morale booster."
The UCBLL was founded to give college-age athletes like Piseno a chance to hone their skills, gain valuable experience, and advance their game. The Western New York league has served as a pipeline to the National Lacrosse League. The UCBLL, owned and operated by the Knighthawks and Buffalo Bandits, has had 13 players drafted.
"It is cool that he went from the UCBLL, where we taught him some things, to playing with the Knighthawks," said Rees. "It makes it easy for him to transition to this game. He is so smart and athletic. He knows what to do. He stepped in and played big. He is a great piece to our team."
Piseno credited Rees and Coates for their coaching and mentoring, especially in the UCBLL. The duo has motivated the first-year pro to keep grinding to lock down a permanent spot in the Rochester lineup.
"I have Rees by my side in the locker room and Coatesy by my side since I was with the Hawkeyes. They have built me into what I am today," said Piseno. "They gave me the confidence to play in this league. It showed tonight."
"They told me to make a statement and make them not take you out," added Piseno. "I feel like I did that, but like with anything, you must keep going and can't live off this high. You have to get back to work and do something better the next game, the next practice, and keep it going."
Photo: James Bennett.