A note from the editor

MATT VOLZ

Editor in Chief

Hello everyone!

Welcome to RE: Lax, a publication dedicated to coverage of the Buffalo Bandits, Western New York’s championship lacrosse team.

This website began as a magazine I made for another college class, and I hope to further expand my audience with this site.

Before I go into details about my mission with RE: Lax, allow me to introduce myself.

I’m originally from Allegany, N.Y, a small-ish town roughly 70 miles southeast of Buffalo.

Allegany is a college town, as it is home to St. Bonaventure University, a private Franciscan school with an enrollment of roughly 2,000 students.

At St. Bonaventure, basketball is king.

On many wintry nights, students and locals pack the Reilly Center to cheer on their Bonnies against Atlantic 10 foes.

Growing up, I was one of those locals.

My grandparents held season tickets to both the men’s and women’s teams for at least 30 years, and they would often bring me to games with them.

Within the walls of that building, I celebrated some of my favorite sports triumphs and mourned some of my worst sports memories.

This background fueled me to become a fan of professional teams as well, as it was rare for me to ever miss a Bills or Sabres game.

There was one Buffalo team I was missing though.

Throughout the first nine years of my life, I don’t think I had ever watched a lacrosse game.

Some schools in the area had youth programs, but mine wasn’t one of them.

St. Bonaventure had a team, but I had never seen them in action.

On March 8, 2014, my journey to being a lacrosse fan began.

That night, I went to the Bandits game with my family and friends, and it was my first exposure to Banditland.

Steve Priolo, now the team’s captain, got into a fight in the middle of the game.

For someone who grew up watching hockey fights, I couldn’t believe I had found something even more insane.

The Bandits defeated the Minnesota (now Georgia) Swarm, 12-9, and from then on I was hooked on being a fan.

The next year, we went to another game, but we needed to eat dinner beforehand.

There were 14 of us going to the game, and we got some sort of ticket package through McDonald’s.

As disgusting as it may seem, we filled the dinner table with hundreds of Chicken McNuggets and french fries.

If I remember correctly, one of my friends ate nearly 50 McNuggets by himself.

The Bandits won again, and the game was another memorable experience for me.

As I got older, I went to several other games, and most of them ended in Buffalo victories.

In 2023, I realized a childhood dream and became a season ticket holder, like my grandparents had done for the Bonnies when I was young.

My friend, Parker, and I got to take in an incredible season right off the bat.

We watched as the defending National Lacrosse League (NLL) champions fought their way back into the playoffs.

Parker couldn’t make it to the first round game against the Swarm, a single-elimination game that meant win or go home.

I brought my sister, Katie, along with me, which was far from the first memorable sports experience I was fortunate enough to share with her.

Back in 2017, the two of us stood next to each other as the Bills ended their 17-year playoff drought.

That night, I jumped into my big sister’s arms when the Cincinnati Bengals scored to go ahead of the Baltimore Ravens, the team Buffalo was chasing for the last spot.

I did the same seven years later at the Bandits playoff game, as Josh Byrne scored in overtime to send Buffalo to the semifinals.

I couldn’t make it to the deciding semifinal game in Buffalo, as I was in a meeting during the time of the game.

I definitely paid attention in the meeting as the Bandits beat the Toronto Rock to go back to the NLL Finals.

After winning Game 1 in Albany, Parker and I made our way to KeyBank Center in hopes we’d see our team win a championship.

The day brought a wave of emotions, with bittersweet feelings combatting the elation.

From the parking lot, I watched the livestream of SUNY Fredonia’s graduation as my best friend (now girlfriend) walked across the stage.

It wouldn’t be the last time I had tears in my eyes that day.

The game was electric, mostly dominated by Buffalo.

Going into the fourth quarter, Banditland was buzzing, confident the team was about to bring home its second consecutive title.

The team held on, and I watched through tear-filled eyes as the orange and purple confetti fell from the rafters.

Parker and I hugged each other and high-fived people we’d never met in celebration.

To me, that’s the beauty of being a Bandits fan.

Although you come to the game with people you know, there’s thousands of new friends who fill the arena, and all of you have one thing in common: your love for the sport and the team.

With RE: Lax, I hope to enhance that sense of community.

Most Buffalo sports coverage focuses on the Bills and Sabres, while leaving the Bandits in the dark.

I feel that this is an oversight, as Bandits fans are just as passionate about their team as Bills and Sabres fans are, if not more passionate.

There aren’t many dedicated Bandits publications, and my goal is to change that with RE: Lax.

Thank you for reading, and Let’s Go Bandits!