MATT VOLZ
Editor in Chief
They’re number one… again.
For the fourth time in the last five full seasons, the Buffalo Bandits will finish the year with the best record in the NLL.
After last week’s win over Colorado and Saskatchewan’s loss to Calgary on April 4, all Buffalo needed this weekend was a win in their regular season home finale to clinch the top spot.
It was Fan Appreciation Night in Banditland, and the pregame ceremony featured season awards for some key players and one key fan.
This year’s Fan of the Year award went to season ticket holder Herb Guth, who received a customized jersey and a Bandits WWE-inspired belt for his contributions to the Bandits community.
The award winners on the field received wooden trophies commemorating their contributions to this season.
Clay Scanlan, the 23-year old rookie from Irving, N.Y., was named the team’s Rookie of the Year.
Kyle Buchanan was named Teammate of the Year, recognized by his team for his efforts.
To the surprise of nobody, Josh Byrne was named Offensive Player of the Year, as the defending MVP leads the team in goals and has long been its most consistent offensive threat.
The Defensive Player of the Year award went to veteran Paul Dawson, who entered the game with 45 blocked shots, already an NLL record.
The last award was the Team MVP award, and the players’ vote was dead even.
Both Dhane Smith and Matt Vinc were recognized as being the team’s best players, earning them matching wooden trophies.
Once the game started, Vinc played like an MVP, holding the Halifax Thunderbirds offense at bay for nearly the entire opening quarter.
Unfortunately for Buffalo, Drew Hutchison and the Halifax defense were equally as good on the other end of the floor, cancelling out every Bandits opportunity.
The game remained a standoff for the first 12 and a half minutes, until the Thunderbirds showed a lack of discipline.
On the same play where defenseman Carter McKenzie was penalized for an illegal cross check, Buffalo received a two-man advantage when Colton Armstrong also went to the box for kneeing.
It didn’t take long for the high-powered Bandits offense to make Halifax pay.
Ian MacKay opened the scoring less than a minute into the 5-on-3 advantage, adding another goal to a season in which he has soared past previous offensive bests in his career.
Later in the power play, Byrne fired one past Hutchison to put the Bandits up by two.
However, Halifax answered right back, as rookie Mike Robinson got the Thunderbirds on the board just 24 seconds later.
This would become a theme throughout the game. Buffalo would jump out ahead, only for Halifax to answer right back.
At the end of the first quarter, it was a lower-scoring game than many fans probably expected, with Buffalo ahead 2-1.
The second quarter wouldn’t disappoint, and neither would Byrne, who scored his second of the night just 34 seconds in.
In previous recaps, I’ve talked about how the Bandits offense is at its best when the depth is firing, and it isn’t just Byrne or Smith finding the back of the net.
That was the case on Saturday, and Scanlan continued a solid scoring streak early in the second quarter, putting Buffalo up 4-1.
But, the Thunderbirds came right back again.
After a potential second goal by Scanlan was waved off, Clarke Petterson scored back-to-back goals to pull his team back within one.
It remained that way for three minutes, before Dawson Theede beat Vinc to tie the game.
Soon after, the back-and-forth commenced in full force.
On Buffalo’s next possession, Kyle Buchanan tiptoed his way around the crease and buried a shot past Hutchison to give his team the lead back.
Right after, Randy Staats scored his first of four goals to even it back up.
Less than a minute after that, Byrne completed the hat trick, and Buffalo reclaimed the lead.
Once again, it wouldn’t last long, as Staats buried his second to tie the game 6-6 heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Buffalo offense picked up right where it left off, as Byrne and Buchanan went back-to-back to build an 8-6 lead.
However, the Bandits were visited by a nemesis from earlier in the season: costly penalties.
MacKay was sent off for slashing, and the Thunderbirds made Buffalo pay with a power play goal from Theede.
Chase Fraser soon found his way onto the scoresheet to restore Buffalo’s multi-goal lead, but Staats struck again.
Two goals in under two minutes by the veteran forward brought the game to a 9-9 tie.
Smith found paydirt to give the Bandits the lead back, but that was quickly answered with a Cody Jamieson marker.
Heading into the final quarter, Buffalo and Halifax remained deadlocked at 10.
Deja vu struck the Bandits early in the fourth, as MacKay received another slashing penalty and Halifax again scored on the ensuing power play.
Petterson’s goal gave the Thunderbirds their first lead of the night, but it also seemed to light a fire underneath the Bandits.
Buffalo’s transition group answered the call on offense, as Ron John and Kiel Matisz worked the ball to captain Steve Priolo, who beat Hutchison to tie it back up.
In the same minute, Buchanan brought the crowd back to its feet and completed the hat trick, giving Buffalo the lead back.
Yet again, the lead didn’t last long, as Jamieson scored his second to bring the game to a 12-12 tie.
With just six and a half minutes remaining in regulation, the Buffalo offense needed someone to put them back in front.
Who else would answer the call but the transition star with newfound offensive greatness?
MacKay tallied his second of the night, a goal that was soon joined by Buchanan’s fourth of the game.
The Bandits were now back up by two, and the final insurance goal would be scored by a somewhat unexpected member of the twice defending champions.
Defenseman Cam Wyers, who entered Saturday’s game with only one career goal, made it two with 3:42 left on the clock.
Vinc and the Buffalo defense held strong the rest of the way, and the horn sounded with the Bandits taking home the win, 15-12.
With the win, Buffalo ensured that the NLL playoffs will run through Banditland, no easy task for any opposing team.
Only one regular season contest remains for the orange and black, that being a 7:30 p.m. road matchup with the Georgia Swarm on Saturday, April 19.
After that, it’s playoff time, and Buffalo’s first round game will be at KeyBank Center at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 25.
Their opponent has not yet been determined, but it will be after this upcoming weekend’s games.
The journey to a potential third straight title is about to begin, and this seems like a Bandits group primed to make history.
MATT’S HIGH FIVES
During every Bandits game, when the team scores, my family and I all send each other high fives over text.
It’s a way to keep in touch and all enjoy the game together, no matter where we are.
So, I thought it could be fun to share some high fives with my top five performers from each game.
This week’s high fives go to:
Dhane Smith: Another week, another milestone for the league’s leader in points. Smith reached 800 career assists in Saturday’s win, another accomplishment in an illustrious career.
Paul Dawson: Speaking of milestones, Dawson reached 50 blocked shots in the win. For comparison, only one other player in the entire league has more than 27. Also, he became the first player ever to reach 100 blocked shots since it became a measured stat in 2022.
Kyle Buchanan: Not only did his teammates recognize him as Teammate of the Year, but he also found the back of the net four times in the win. Nice.
John Tavares: Johnny who? The former on-field great reached 100 games behind the bench, marking yet another achievement for the greatest player to ever play the game.
Banditland: On Fan Appreciation Night, it’s only fitting that the best fans in lacrosse get the last high five. Keep it loud and proud for the playoffs!
That’s all for RE: Lax Recaps this week, we’ll catch you all for the regular season finale next week!
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