MATT VOLZ
Editor in Chief
It’s not easy to beat a team three times in one season.
We’ve seen this notion come into play in other sports, too. In the NFL, teams have beaten division rivals in both regular season matchups, only to lose to them in the playoffs.
For the Buffalo Bandits in the NLL Finals, they’ll have to head back home to try and finish off the Saskatchewan Rush.
The Bandits and Rush finished atop the league standing with identical 13-5 records, but Buffalo earned the top playoff seed as a result of their win over the Rush in Saskatoon on March 1.
It was only fitting that the top two teams would meet again with a championship on the line.
The Bandits took care of business at home in Game 1, taking down the Rush, 12-10.
But in order to clinch a series sweep, Buffalo needed to come away with a win in Saskatoon in Game 2.
Winning championships on the road has been difficult for the Bandits throughout their history. Of their six championships, only one of them was won on the road.
That was their first title, when current head coach John Tavares scored the overtime winner to defeat the original Philadelphia Wings at the Spectrum.
Since then, the Bandits entered Sunday’s game 0-3 in potential championship-clinchers on the road.
Not only does Buffalo have a tough history with closing out championship games on the road — they also have some bad memories in Saskatoon.
In the 2016 NLL Finals, the Rush defeated the Bandits in a two-game sweep, clinching the series at the SaskTel Centre.
The bad luck would continue for Buffalo.
Before I recap the game, I would like to address the fact that I did not live tweet most of the first half on RE: Lax’s official X account, @re_laxlacrosse.
Having a championship game to cover on the same day I move out of my college townhouse is not something I recommend.
Many thanks to John Gurtler, Randy Mearns, Dave Buchanan and the rest of the radio broadcast crew on WGR 550 for keeping me informed on my drive from Fredonia to Allegany.
As the game began, Buffalo got off to a slow start.
Just over a minute in, Jake Boudreau used a pick from Mike Messenger and scored the game’s first goal.
As Rush goalie Frank Scigliano shut down Buffalo’s offense, Austin Shanks fired a shot past Matt Vinc to put Saskatchewan ahead 2-0.
Much like Game 1, the Bandits found themselves in an early two-goal deficit.
This time, it would balloon to a three-goal deficit, as Ryan Keenan blistered a shot over Vinc’s right shoulder.
The Bandits badly needed a response, and they got one thanks to the NLL’s Offensive Player of the Year, Dhane Smith.
Smith marched down the floor and scored to put Buffalo on the board, but they still trailed 3-1 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter began at 4-on-4, as Keenan and Nick Weiss each received penalties for some after-the-whistle pleasantries.
While neither team scored, Buffalo’s offense returned in a major way a few minutes later.
Off a pass from Josh Byrne, Ian MacKay sniped a shot past Scigliano to bring the Bandits back within one.
MacKay’s red-hot scoring has carried over from the regular season, as he has averaged a hat trick per game in the playoffs.
He wouldn’t be the only one joining the scoring fun, as a low shot by Smith then found the back of the net to tie the game.
While one star forward was scoring, another was continuing a less-than-ideal trend.
Byrne’s goal scoring has been underwhelming in these playoffs, with three total goals in five games.
But on top of that, he’s been traveling across the floor to the penalty box far too much, and this time, it cost his team.
A power play goal from Keenan gave the Rush a 4-3 lead, and Zach Manns quickly responded with one of his own to add to Saskatchewan’s lead.
Needing a goal to keep pace with the Rush, the Bandits turned to a rookie who had just been called up before the game.
Chris Cloutier was unable to play after he sustained an injury in Game 1, so Buffalo activated rookie Clay Scanlan to the gameday roster.
Scanlan was the team’s highest-scoring rookie in the regular season, with 16 points in 11 games.
Before Buffalo’s regular season home finale against the Halifax Thunderbirds on April 12, Scanlan was recognized as the team’s Rookie of the Year.
The 23-year-old from Irving, N.Y. came through with six minutes left in the half to cut Saskatchewan’s lead in half.
To tie the game, it was MacKay’s turn to get back on the scoresheet, as the transition player cruised around Rush defenseman Bobby Kidd III and dove to bury a shot by Sciglianio.
The offense wasn’t done, either.
With two minutes remaining until halftime, Tehoka Nanticoke found Scanlan in front of the net, and the rookie forward faked a high shot before beating Scigliano down low.
The Bandits now held their first lead of the night, hoping to head into halftime ahead by one.
That wouldn’t be the case.
After collecting a loose ball, Boudreau sniped the tying goal past Vinc with just one second on the clock.
In the third quarter, Scigliano made some big saves to stop Buffalo chances.
That’s when the highlight film started rolling.
Chase Fraser has shown a knack for scoring some unbelievable goals, and he did it yet again with a behind-the-back, one-handed shot that put Buffalo back in front.
The next few minutes were a defensive battle, until Brock Haley received a pass from Shanks and dove through the air to tie it back up.
With under four minutes left in the quarter, Byrne finally got on the scoreboard with a low shot that beat Scigliano.
Once again, the lead didn’t last long, as Clark Walter tied it right back up with just over a minute left in the quarter.
Buffalo responded with another pretty goal from Fraser, and they took a 9-8 lead into the final frame.
Another poor penalty taken by Byrne sent the Rush to the power play, and Manns capitalized with the game-tying goal.
With both teams back at even strength, it was Shanks’s time to steal the show.
After a scramble in front of the net, Shanks collected a loose ball and scored his second goal of the game.
He struck again with three minutes left, racing by Zack Belter to finish off the hat trick.
The Bandits pulled Vinc for an extra attacker in the game’s final minutes, and Kyle Buchanan scored to bring Buffalo back within one.
In the final seconds, Chase Fraser lined up for a shot, one last desperate attempt to send the game to overtime.
Holden Garlent stepped into the line of fire and blocked the blistering shot, preserving an 11-10 victory for Saskatchewan.
The loss broke a streak of 10 straight playoff wins for the Bandits, and it ensured a winner-take-all Game 3 in Buffalo at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 24.
Historically, they’ve had better luck winning championships at home than they have on the road, but they’ll need to bring their A game in order to earn the three-peat.
It’s do or die time in Banditland.
What more could you want?
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:
Clay Scanlan: Any time a rookie can step up and score two goals immediately after being called up, that’s great. Doing so in a championship finals game is incredible.
Chase Fraser: Both goals were gorgeous, but his first goal is a legit candidate for the best goal of the season by anyone. Time for another Pat McAfee shoutout.
Steve Priolo: With 11 loose ball recoveries, Priolo passed coach Tavares for the second-most loose ball recoveries ever in the playoffs. The captain is showing excellent transition and defense.
Austin Shanks: Shanks replicated a three-goal, eight-point performance in Game 1 with three goals and eight points in this one, including the game-winner. He’s killed the Bandits all series.
Holden Garlent: Talk about sacrificing the body for your team. Garlent’s blocked shot preserved the win, even if he’ll probably be sore for a week afterwards.
That’s all for this RE: Lax Recap! We’ve got one more game to go, so stay tuned after Game 3.
