MATT VOLZ
Editor in Chief
The term “meaningless game” is an interesting one.
In theory, no game would ever be meaningless to a professional athlete.
Each time a player steps out onto the playing surface, they’re representing their team and earning a living by playing the game they love.
However, there are some games where teams have absolutely nothing to play for.
The outcome of the game can’t change where a team sits in the final standings, for better or worse.
That’s the situation the Buffalo Bandits walked into on Saturday, April 19.
Heading into the regular season finale, Buffalo had already locked up the league’s number one seed.
They had ensured that the NLL playoffs would run through Banditland with a 15-12 win over the Halifax Thunderbirds the week before.
Basically, the goal of the game was just to stay healthy and see what happens.
If they won, that would be great. If they lost, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
They got some good news on the injury front before the game, but with the good came the bad.
Forward Chris Cloutier was activated off of injured reserve in time for faceoff, returning to the lineup for the first time since a loss to Vancouver on Saturday, March 29.
However, Cloutier’s return cost Buffalo another forward, as Tehoka Nanticoke was placed on injured reserve and was unable to play.
For the last game of the regular season, the Bandits headed south to face the Georgia Swarm.
Unlike the Bandits, the game was anything but meaningless for Georgia.
It meant the difference between competing in the playoffs and watching them from their living room couches.
As far as the playoff picture was concerned, Georgia was a team on the outside looking in.
Not only did they need to beat the top-seed Bandits, they also needed some help in other games.
One game of importance was on Friday night, as the Calgary Roughnecks were in Las Vegas for a matchup with the last-place Desert Dogs.
If Las Vegas won, Georgia would have been locked into a playoff spot with a win over Buffalo.
This didn’t happen, as the Roughnecks prevailed by a final score of 12-9.
So, Georgia’s attention turned to the games going on at the same time as their own.
For the second night in a row, Calgary was in action with their season on the line.
They played host to the Colorado Mammoth, another team needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Colorado wouldn’t be so lucky, falling by a final score of 11-5 and sealing their fate.
Not only did this result put Calgary in the playoffs, but it also made Georgia’s mission simple.
If they win, they’re in.
If they lose, they’re out.
Early in the game, the Swarm played like a team ready to do battle in the playoffs.
Lyle Thompson scored the first goal of the game just 49 seconds in, bringing the Swarm faithful to their feet.
Buffalo sat them down quickly, as Chase Fraser answered less than a minute later to tie the game.
The back-and-forth continued, as Andrew Kew gave Georgia the lead back on the way to a big offensive night.
Many times this season, when the Bandits have needed goals, they’ve turned to an unsung hero that isn’t one of the usual scoring suspects.
Ian MacKay’s offense has been something to behold all season, and he once again answered the call for his team, tying the game with just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Shortly after MacKay’s goal, one of the usual suspects found the back of the net, as Josh Byrne gave Buffalo their first lead of the night.
The Bandits held a 3-2 lead after 15 minutes, and their lead would soon grow larger thanks to another transition player’s scoring touch.
Captain Steve Priolo beat Georgia goalie Brett Dobson two minutes into the second quarter, doubling Buffalo’s lead.
Brendan Bomberry pulled Georgia back within one, but again, the Bandits provided an answer.
Just 20 seconds after Bomberry’s goal, MacKay picked up his second of the night.
A minute later, Fraser added his second of the game, and the Bandits held a 6-3 lead.
However, the tide turned in Georgia’s favor as the Swarm fought to keep their season alive.
Kew scored two goals in a two-minute, 41-second span, notching a hat trick and closing Buffalo’s lead to one.
With less than two minutes left in the half, Shayne Jackson tied the game at 6-6.
The tie wouldn’t last long, however, as Dhane Smith got on the board and gave the Bandits a 7-6 halftime lead.
Coming out of the locker room, Buffalo’s offense got rolling.
Clay Scanlan, the team’s Rookie of the Year, buried two goals within the first four minutes of the third quarter.
Smith quickly added his second goal of the night, and the Bandits jumped out to a 10-6 lead.
Needing to rally in order to stay alive, the Swarm wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Richie Connell ended Buffalo’s scoring run with 10 minutes left in the quarter, and an Adam Wiedemann goal brought Georgia back within two.
With less than six minutes left, Fraser picked up the hat trick with a power play goal, Buffalo’s only goal on the man advantage all night.
It would also be the last goal scored by the Bandits in the 2025 regular season.
Jackson responded with his second of the game to cut Buffalo’s lead to 11-9, just in time for the top seed’s biggest weakness to strike again: penalties.
If there’s one major critique of the 2025 Bandits, it has to be penalty minutes.
There’s been several times where they can’t seem to stay out of the box, and in this game, it cost them again.
A holding penalty issued to Dylan Robinson gave the Swarm an opportunity, and Kew cashed in with his fourth goal of the night.
On the next shift, Thompson completed the comeback and tied the game at 11 apiece.
When a team needs a big goal in a big game, magic can sometimes come from the unexpected.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Bandits fell victim to this.
Rookie forward Jacob Hickey, Georgia’s first-round pick in 2023, beat Matt Vinc for his first career goal.
The goal gave the Swarm their first lead since the score was 2-1 in the first quarter.
As Buffalo’s offense was kept at bay by Dobson and the Georgia defense, the Swarm were able to cash in again, as a goal by Jordan MacIntosh gave them their first multi-goal lead.
Despite some good looks from the Bandits offense, they weren’t able to get anything more on the board, and a goal by Bomberry with under a minute to play sealed the deal.
In the end, the Swarm clinched a playoff spot with a 14-11 win.
While the loss didn’t mean anything for Buffalo, the injuries do present some concern.
A few players were banged up, and veteran Nick Weiss left the game limping at one point.
Combine that with Nanticoke being on injured reserve, and it adds up to something important to watch ahead of the playoffs.
The Bandits will begin their march to a potential third straight championship at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 25, hosting the San Diego Seals.
It’s a potential revenge game for Buffalo, as the Seals handed the twice-defending champions their first loss of 2025.
As for Georgia, they’re headed on the road for a matchup with the second-seed Saskatchewan Rush at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26.
We’re down to the final eight teams in the NLL, and the Bandits will have five games to win to capture a third straight title.
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: Yet again, the Great Dhane has set another record. With four assists on Saturday, Smith broke his own single-season record with 103. It’s the fourth straight season in which number 92 has broken this record.
Paul Dawson: Although blocked shots haven’t officially been tracked in the NLL for very long, the veteran defenseman smashed the single-season record with 53 of them. For context, Rochester’s Ian Llord had the second-most blocked shots this year with 37.
Jacob Hickey: Although it was against Buffalo, having your first career goal be the game-winner in a do-or-die matchup against the twice-defending champs is incredible. Major props to him.
Andrew Kew: Georgia needed someone to step up in a major way, and Kew did just that with four goals and four assists. Without his contributions, Georgia wouldn’t be in the playoffs.
Ian MacKay: The transition player finishes the year with an astounding 37 goals, good for second on the team behind Byrne. His previous career high was 19, back in 2023. What a season.
That’s all for this week’s installment of RE: Lax Recaps! We’ll see you in the playoffs!
