(June 18, 2004) — The rumors began circulating near the start of the Major League Lacrosse season but, unlike when he has the ball in his stick and he’s driving to the net, Brent Rothfuss had no control of the situation.
He was about to begin his third season as a member of the Boston Cannons, and there was a certain amount of loyalty there because that was the team that had given him his outdoor pro lacrosse shot in 2002, the team he had scored 30 goals for the previous two seasons.

Besides, talk of a trade to his hometown Rochester Rattlers was just that: talk. Trade rumors occur every day in pro sports, so Rothfuss tried his best to concentrate on the only thing he could control — his own play — and hope for the best.

Yeah, and that was about as easy for the former Penfield High School and Nazareth College star as it was for him last fall watching his beloved New York Giants sink to the bottom of the National Football League.

”I had heard that there was a possibility of a trade earlier in training camp, and as soon as I heard it I was really excited,” said the 29-year-old Rothfuss. “Playing in Boston I was just happy to have had the opportunity to play at this level, and things were going well so I tried to focus on that.

”But as soon as I heard that Rochester was trying to make a deal for me, my heart was with the Rattlers.”

Possibility became reality on June 7, when Boston dealt Rothfuss and midfielder Gavin Prout to Rochester for midfielder Pat Myers and a fourth-round 2005 draft pick.

Rothfuss barely needed his car to get home as he floated down the Mass Pike and Thruway.

”I kept my fingers crossed and hoped that it would happen,” he said. “I’m thrilled to have this chance. It’s exciting enough to play in this league, but to have a chance to do it in front of family and friends, that’s a great experience and I’m really excited.”

Rothfuss made his Rattlers debut Sunday and found his niche immediately among a deep and talented midfield corps.

He scored two goals to help Rochester knock off Baltimore 14-12, just the Rattlers’ second victory in 12 games against the Bayhawks since the inception of the MLL in 2001.

”Brent brings a lot of experience,” said Rattlers coach B.J. O’Hara, who will watch Rothfuss make his home debut tonight at Bishop Kearney Field when the Rattlers host the New Jersey Pride.

”He’s been in the league (almost) since it started, and he knows how to go out there and get things done. We were talking about (a trade), but we needed to come up with the right scenario that would benefit both teams.

”He was a key player for Boston. He scored a lot of goals for them.”

Now O’Hara hopes Rothfuss can do the same for Rochester.

Rothfuss was a three-sport star at Penfield (lacrosse, football and hockey) in the early 1990s before going to Nazareth.

Rothfuss played sparingly his first year under coach Scott Nelson, then scored 25 goals as a sophomore as Nazareth advanced to the Division III national championship game, where it lost to Salisbury State.

Then in 1996 and ‘97, Rothfuss became a star. He scored 93 goals and 145 points combined in his final two years and led the Golden Flyers to back-to-back national titles.

A three-time All-American and Division III’s 1997 Player of the Year, Rothfuss finished his career on East Avenue with 126 goals (fifth-most in school history) and 200 points (third-most).

The only pro lacrosse being played at the time he graduated was indoors in the National Lacrosse League, and Rothfuss joined the hometown Knighthawks as a free agent. However, the indoor game was a tough transition and he played only four games combined for Rochester in 1998 and 1999, had brief stints with Buffalo and Syracuse the next two years, then joined Columbus for the 2002 season.

He had 14 goals and 18 assists for the Landsharks, but when they relocated to Arizona, Rothfuss gave up the indoor game.

Then along came the MLL and Rothfuss, a sales rep for Marchon Eyewear, continued his pro career in the game that suited him best — the outdoor field game.

”I had grown up playing the sport, and as soon as my college career ended I wasn’t sure I’d be able to play outdoor lacrosse at a high level like this,” he said. “I was excited when the league started, and when Rochester got a team I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t in the back of my head that I wanted to play with the hometown team.”

Four years later, Rothfuss finally has that opportunity.

New Jersey at Rattlers
Where: Bishop Kearney Field.
When: 7:35 tonight.
Radio: WROC-AM (950).
Preview: The Rattlers (2-2) are coming off a big win at Baltimore while New Jersey (1-3) suffered its third straight loss, a 15-12 defeat to previously winless Philadelphia last weekend. ... Rochester rookie goalie Tillman Johnson made his MLL debut against Baltimore and earned Rookie of the Week honors as he made 22 saves. ... Ryan Powell leads the Rattlers in scoring with 14-10-24 while Casey Powell and A.J. Shannon have nine goals each. ... New Jersey is led on offense by Jesse Hubbard (16 goals) and former Rattler Adam Doneger (11 goals).