MATT VOLZ
Editor in Chief
For many athletes, it’s hard to stay competitive after reaching a certain age.
It’s often been said that Father Time is undefeated, and sooner or later, age catches up to an athlete.
Don’t tell that to Matt Vinc.
The 42-year old goalie has not only played well in these playoffs — he’s likely the main reason why the Buffalo Bandits are where they are.
In the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, Vinc stopped 48 of 52 shots in a 5-4 win over the San Diego Seals.
It was the lowest-scoring game in NLL history, and the Bandits became the first team ever to win a playoff game despite being shut out for an entire half.
Their semifinal matchup wasn’t ideal for a team struggling to score, either.
The Vancouver Warriors were below the playoff cutline in March, sitting on the outside looking in with a 5-7 record.
That all changed at the trade deadline, when they swung a deal with the Calgary Roughnecks to acquire star goalie Christian Del Bianco.
Del Bianco had been holding out from the Roughnecks all season after he claimed over the summer that he was done playing in Calgary.
When the Roughnecks made a trade for Toronto Rock goalie Nick Rose, a trade of Del Bianco became inevitable, and the Warriors jumped at the opportunity.
With Del Bianco in net, the Warriors finished the season on a six-game win streak, which included a 13-12 win over the Bandits in Buffalo on March 29.
Vancouver clinched the fourth seed in the NLL playoffs, and they defeated the Rochester Knighthawks 15-10 in the quarterfinal round.
Entering Friday’s game, fans received white Bandits towels with the phrase “Our Turf. Our Time.” inscribed on the front.
The playoff atmosphere was heightened by over 14,000 fans waving the towels just before faceoff.
The game was physical early, but the Bandits got a little too physical.
Zack Belter was penalized for an illegal cross check less than two minutes in, and Kevin Crowley made him pay, striking first for Vancouver.
It wouldn’t take the Bandits long to respond, thanks to a transition player who has become one of their top offensive threats.
Ian MacKay was the only Bandit to score more than once in the win over San Diego, and he buried Buffalo’s first goal of the semifinals by receiving a pass from Ron John and sidestepping a defender.
Next, it was Buffalo’s turn to capitalize on a penalty.
Warriors defenseman Owen Grant was given a five-minute major penalty for an illegal cross check, and the Bandits took full advantage.
Major penalties are a bit different in lacrosse than they are in hockey. In hockey, a team can score as many times as possible within the five-minute frame, but in the NLL, two goals ends the power play.
A week after their power play was shut out, the Bandits went two for two.
Dhane Smith fired a shot over Del Bianco’s shoulder to give Buffalo the lead, and Chase Fraser beat the Vancouver goalie on a low shot in the final minute of the power play.
On the other end of the floor, the Bandits defense blocked several shots, and Vinc kept the Vancouver offense silent.
Buffalo held a 3-1 lead at the end of the first quarter, and after the goalies dominated the first several minutes of the second quarter, deja vu struck.
Grant was penalized for another illegal cross check, and the Bandits took care of business again.
MacKay scored his second of the game after a pass from Kyle Buchanan, putting Buffalo ahead by three.
Just over a minute later, the Bandits rushed down the floor in transition, and MacKay completed the hat trick on a shot that trickled in behind Del Bianco.
Buffalo’s offensive outburst continued on their next possession when a Tehoka Nanticoke shot from long range somehow found its way into the net.
It was not at all the type of goal that Del Bianco usually gives up, and he was briefly pulled from the net in favor of backup Aden Walsh.
Walsh played just over a minute and stopped the only shot he faced before Del Bianco re-entered the crease.
His return coincided with a Buffalo penalty, and Dylan MacIntosh capitalized on the man advantage.
It wouldn’t take long for Buffalo to respond.
Josh Byrne, last year’s MVP of both the season and NLL Finals, was held scoreless in the win over San Diego.
To make matters worse, he limped off the field after blocking a shot in the fourth quarter.
That seemed to be all in the past, however, as Byrne fired a low shot by Del Bianco to give the Bandits a 7-2 lead entering halftime.
In the third quarter, both goalies stole the show.
Del Bianco and Vinc turned away every shot for almost the entire quarter, which included power play opportunities for both sides.
It remained that way for almost the whole third quarter, but not all of it.
With less than 15 seconds left, a pass found Byrne behind the net, and he dealt a backhand, one-handed pass to MacKay for the goal.
It was MacKay’s fourth goal of the night, and it put the Bandits ahead by six with 15 minutes left.
Early in the fourth quarter, Vancouver’s top scorer got on the board, as Keegan Bal sniped a power play goal.
It turned out to be a case of “punch, counterpunch.”
Grant received his third penalty of the game, and Smith buried a shot to give the Bandits their fourth power play goal.
For the rest of the night, Vinc and the Bandits defense put on a clinic.
In total, the Bandits blocked 11 shots on the night, with four from Nick Weiss and three from Steve Priolo.
The story of the game was Vinc, however, as he kept the Warriors scoreless until the final buzzer sounded.
Buffalo took Game 1 by a final score of 9-3, putting them just one win away from a fifth straight trip to the NLL Finals.
According to NLL reporter Graeme Perrow, Vinc became the first goalie in NLL history to allow four or fewer goals in back-to-back games.
He didn’t allow a single even strength goal on Friday night, and he was named the game’s first star for his efforts.
The Bandits will now head west for Game 2 in Vancouver, and they can clinch the series with a win.
If Game 3 is necessary, it’ll be played in Buffalo at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 10.
Game 2 will be broadcast on the CW23 in Western New York and on TSN in Canada.
Fans can also stream the game live on ESPN+, NLL+ or TSN+, depending on where they are viewing from.
If Vinc can continue to hold down the fort in net and the defense in front of him stays strong, the next game in Banditland may be Game 1 of the NLL Finals.
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:
Matt Vinc: The obvious choice for the first high five, Vinc was unbelievable again. He is the frontrunner for playoff MVP if the Bandits win it all again.
Ian MacKay: Every game, MacKay shows up when his team needs him. Four goals in this game propelled Buffalo to a win.
Josh Byrne: The star forward returned from his injury and notched a goal and four assists. His assist on MacKay’s fourth goal is one of the best passes I have ever seen.
Nick Weiss: He didn’t score this week, but eight loose ball recoveries and four blocked shots warrants some praise for a guy who has been very solid in these playoffs.
Team defense: It’s too hard to highlight just one, but the entire defense was on point. Vinc was phenomenal, but he didn’t have to do it alone.
Stay tuned to @re_laxlacrosse on X for live tweets during each game! We’ll catch you back here after Game 2!
