Rochester Knighthawks goalie Rylan Hartley absolutely CLOBBERED Vancouver Warriors defenseman Steph Charbonneau during the first quarter of the National Lacrosse League game in New York on Saturday. The vicious slobberknocker led to fisticuffs all over the field.
Mayhem ensued.
The lacrosse community is split on whether the hit was legal. The rules can be interpreted in one of two ways, depending on how you view the initial contact on the fast break.
Rylan Hartley wrecked Steph Charbonneau.
Charbonneau is in his seventh season with the NLL and fourth with the Warriers. The 29-year-old Canadian is one of the best defenders in the league. Hartley, who is two years younger, is in his sixth season with the NLL. He holds the Knighthawks franchise record for goalie wins, saves, and minutes.
Vancouver traveled to Rochester on Saturday.
Charbonneau got out in front of the Knighthawks defense on a breakaway but his own goalie hung him out to dry with a classic hospital pass. There was no way he was going to escape the wrath of Hartley, who was waiting for him on the other end. There wasn’t enough time or space to catch the pass, make a move toward the goal, and shoot. It wasn’t going work.
And sure enough, it didn’t.
Rylan Hartley left the crease to lay the lumber. Steph Charbonneau got rocked.
Fellow Vancouver defenseman Ryan Dilks came to the defense of his teammate. He ran over to the Rochester goalie, tackled him to the ground and started throwing haymakers. A brawl ensued. Multiple other fights broke out around them.
CHAOS ERUPTS IN ROCHESTER as Rylan Hartley LIGHTS UP Steph Charbonneau in the open floor pic.twitter.com/u5puov9gvp
— Adam Levi (@AdamLeviLAX) February 1, 2026
Things eventually died down after a few minutes. Both teams had to be separated while officials discussed their course of action before the game could continue.
Hartley was escorted off of the field and received a 10-minute penalty for illegal body checking. He did not return to the game. Charbonneau avoided serious injury and continued to play, later recording an assist. Dilks and two other Rochester players also received two-minute penalties.
National League Lacrosse rules create debate.
Per NLL rule 70, it is “legal to bodycheck an opponent in possession of the ball from the front or side, above the waist and below the shoulder, and to bodycheck an opponent while the player leaves his feet to shoot, pass or catch the ball, or otherwise engage legally in offensive play provided contact is legal as outlined above and below, and there are no other violations and the check is not into the boards.”
By that definition, Hartley’s hit was clean. However, the rule also states the following:
“Officials shall consider the positioning of players when contact is initiated, specifically whether the player being checked is in a vulnerable and/or defenseless position, which may include a player’s head being down or being unaware of an impending hit, and significant distance travelled by the player making the hit.”
This is where it gets hazy.
Some lacrosse fans believe Charbonneau was defenseless. Others do not believe he was in a vulnerable position at the point of contact and note that Hartley took only two steps before the hit.
Rule 70.4 adds another wrinkle.
“A goalie or player must give a fast-breaking opponent the opportunity to gain composure after receiving the ball, provided the player being checked is not in a vulnerable and or defenseless position, which may include a player’s head being down or unaware of an impending hit, or significant distance travelled by the player making the hit.
Hartley did not give the fast-breaking opponent an opportunity to gain composure. That is not a legal hit.
Right or wrong, this was not the first National Lacrosse League fight that involved the Rochester goalie this season. He also chucked knucks with a goalie back in December.
NLL GOALIE FIGHT! Rylan Hartley and Nick Damude go at it, and this was a better fight than anything you saw on Netflix last night. Hartley opened with a big shot and landed some serious punches, and had a few things to say at the end. pic.twitter.com/0eVSV0TC8R
— Dan Arestia (@danarestia) December 21, 2025
The NLL has not yet announced any additional sanctions for Hartley. We’ll see.