MATT VOLZ
Editor in Chief
Much to the chagrin of many NLL fans, the Buffalo Bandits are just one win away from a third straight championship.
The top team in the league took care of business in the first game of the NLL Finals, defeating the Saskatchewan Rush, 12-10.
The series marks a rematch of the 2016 NLL Finals, when the Rush, playing in their first season in Saskatchewan, swept Buffalo in two games.
Dhane Smith put up historic numbers in 2016, scoring a record 72 goals in the regular season.
However, it was spoiled by the Rush.
The Bandits entered Game 1 hoping to change the script.
Earlier in the week, it was announced that Smith had been named the NLL’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Smith and Josh Byrne each put up 134 points in the regular season, more than anyone else in the league.
However, Smith’s campaign was record-setting, as his 102 assists were the most ever in a single season.
He was also named to the All-NLL First Team, while Byrne and Matt Vinc were named to the All-NLL Second Team.
Buffalo brought home two other individual awards, as Kyle Buchanan was awarded the league’s sportsmanship award and play-by-play announcer John Gurtler won the Tom Borrelli Award for media person of the year.
Each award winner was recognized at some point before or during the game, which was met with cheers from fans.
It wasn’t quite a sellout in Banditland, but over 16,000 fans packed KeyBank Center for the game.
Before the game, the Bandits held a Party in the Plaza outside the arena, featuring live music, food, drinks and photo opportunities.
The party soon traveled inside, and it was go time on the floor.
Each fan in attendance received an orange rally towel inscribed with “We’re Baaaaaaaaack!” on the front.
At the opening faceoff, KeyBank Center was a sea of orange and white as fans waved the towels and cheered.
Saskatchewan quieted them on the game’s first possession.
The Rush won the opening faceoff, and Robert Church found Clark Walter beside the net for a quick stick goal.
The early goal wasn’t a fluke, either, as the Rush continued to press until Levi Anderson went right around Cam Wyers and dove to put the ball past Vinc.
Just over two minutes into the game, Saskatchewan had jumped out to a 2-0 lead, taking the air out of a typically hyped up crowd.
Buffalo’s top scorer wouldn’t take long to get his team back into it, though.
A few seconds past the five-minute mark, Byrne fired a shot that Rush goalie Frank Scigliano couldn’t catch up to.
Now bringing the energy, the fans hardly had time to sit back down before Buffalo had scored again.
After Byrne collected a loose ball on the boards, Buchanan received a pass from Tehoka Nanticoke and dove in front of the crease to tie the game.
The game remained deadlocked at 2-2 until the Rush retook the lead on another short-side goal, this one from Austin Shanks.
At the end of the first quarter, the Bandits trailed 3-2, and Banditland was letting the officials hear it for some controversial calls.
Midway through the quarter, Ian MacKay took a hit up high that wasn’t called, but a retaliatory shove from Nanticoke sent him to the penalty box for roughing.
Later, a scrum between Byrne and Shanks in which Shanks essentially tackled the Bandits star resulted in coinciding minor penalties for both players, as well as an additional penalty to Zack Belter for defending his teammate.
Either way, Buffalo was badly outshot in the opening frame, and it wouldn’t get much better to start the second quarter.
Once again, the Rush won the opening faceoff and came right down the floor to score. This time, Brock Haley put his team up by two.
After a potential goal by Anderson was overturned due to a crease violation, MacKay found the back of the net to pull Buffalo back within a goal.
Through the first three games of the playoffs, MacKay averaged a hat trick per game.
It took a bit longer than some fans may have expected, but MacKay was able to get his offense rolling in Game 1.
He wasn’t done.
With just over seven minutes left in the half, Smith found MacKay cutting towards the net, and MacKay lept in the air to score the tying goal.
Next, Chase Fraser knifed his way through the Saskatchewan defense to score another highlight reel goal, and the Bandits took a 5-4 lead.
Near the end of the half, a long screened shot by Mike Messenger found its way past Vinc, and the game was tied again.
In the half’s final minute, Shanks shook by Dylan Robinson and sniped a shot past Vinc to regain the lead.
That lead wouldn’t last long, thanks to Buffalo’s transition hero.
On the next possession, MacKay came racing up the floor to score and tie the game at 6-6 heading into halftime.
Unsurprisingly, given the way the playoffs have gone to this point, MacKay was the driving force for the Buffalo offense in the first half.
If he needed any additional help energizing the fans, Buffalo’s other winning team was in attendance to support the Bandits.
Several Bills players, including Khalil Shakir, Dawson Knox and A.J. Epenesa, sat together in a suite and donned custom Bandits jerseys with their name and number on the back.
Perhaps the Bills could show the Bandits how to stop giving up points right off the bat.
For the third straight quarter, the Rush won the opening faceoff and scored immediately, this time coming from Zach Manns.
Shortly thereafter, Byrne and Messenger were both sent to the box for roughing, and Manns capitalized on the 4-on-4 to put the Rush ahead by two again.
Again, the Bandits responded from the two-goal deficit.
With a 4-on-3 power play, Smith found MacKay beside the net for a quick stick goal, MacKay’s fourth of the night.
The theme of punch, counterpunch continued, though, as Ryan Keenan quickly scored to make the score 9-7 in favor of Saskatchewan.
At this point in the game, I audibly wondered where Smith’s goal scoring had gone. “Come on, Mr. Offensive Player of the Year, make something happen,” I said.
He must have heard me, as he buried a shot to bring Buffalo back within one.
Maybe I should have chided the defense for allowing too many second and third chances, as Shanks scored following multiple shot clock resets.
However, Smith once again answered the call for the offense, scoring to make it a one-goal game again.
This time, a second chance opportunity went Buffalo’s way, as Buchanan collected a loose ball in front of the net and scored to tie the game.
Just over a minute later, Smith struck yet again to complete the hat trick and give the Bandits their first lead of the night.
The third quarter came to an end with Buffalo leading, 11-10.
There was no shortage of offensive fireworks in the third quarter, but that wouldn’t be the case in the fourth.
Buffalo’s defense shut down several Rush opportunities, and on the other side, Scigliano turned aside many Bandits shots.
In the game’s final minute, Scigliano was pulled for an extra attacker. With the net empty, Smith fired a long shot that deflected in off Buchanan’s stick to put the Bandits ahead by two.
As the final horn sounded, the fears of many fans from around the league had been realized.
Buffalo was just one win away from a third straight title.
The Bandits are in the midst of a historic run, as they are only the third team in league history to make five straight finals appearances.
With one more win in the series, Buffalo would be only the second team to win three straight championships, following what the original Rochester Knighthawks franchise did from 2012 to 2014.
The Bandits have the chance to close it out in Saskatoon at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday, May 18.
If they do so, they’ll continue a streak in which they haven’t lost a playoff game to anyone other than the Colorado Mammoth since 2019.
If not, Game 3 will decide it all at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 24.
We’ll see if Buffalo can 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:
Ian MacKay: If Buffalo wins the series, MacKay is easily MVP. He put together yet another stellar playoff performance with four goals.
Dhane Smith: The Great Dhane not only put up eight points, but he became the NLL’s all-time leading playoff scorer, passing head coach John Tavares.
Kyle Buchanan: “Bucky” continues to be a phenomenal secondary scoring option, as he recorded a hat trick in a key game.
Steve Priolo: At this point in the playoffs, team leaders need to step up. Priolo did just that with 11 loose ball recoveries and four blocked shots.
The Bills: Teams supporting other teams is the coolest thing ever, and I wish we saw even more of it. Having several Bills players in attendance was awesome to see.
That’s all for this week’s RE: Lax Recap, stay tuned for more NLL Finals coverage!
