Christopher Crane, Rochester Knighthawks Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©
Featured Image Photo Credit: Michele Veluvolu
In the final regular season match-up between the Buffalo Bandits (5-3) they would secure a 15-14 victory over the Rochester Knighthawks (3-4). Despite a late rally from Rochester, the Bandits held on to seal the win. Rochester, aiming to avoid a three-game losing streak and a season sweep by Buffalo, faced a slow start but showed resilience in the fourth period. Ryan Smith’s (5g 6a) impressive 11-point performance led the Knighthawks with teammate Connor Fields (4g 5a) following up with a 9-point night. While Buffalo’s Josh Bryne (3g, 4a) contributed 7 points for the Bandits. The Knighthawks would also have a big night at faceoff as Rochester’s Joe Post would win 23-33 (69%)
The first period saw Rochester take an early lead with a goal from Smith 3:53 in, but the Bandits would respond with a 4-0 run. Buffalo’s Chase Fraser (2g, 4a), Dhane Smith (2g, 4a) and Chris Cloutier (3g, 3a) showcased their offensive prowess, ending the period 4-1 in favor of the Bandits.
Fans witnessed a more balanced exchange in the second, as both teams tallied four goals apiece. Both sides would also notch power play markers in the frame. Tallying scores for the Bandits were Nick Weiss (1g, 2a), Kyle Buchanan (3g, 1a), Dalton Sulver (1g, 1a) and Cloutier. Despite efforts from Connor Fields who would tally a hat trick in the period and Thomas McConvey (1g) who put up the final goal with 10 seconds on the ticker, the Knighthawks would still trail 8-5 at halftime.
Rochester began the third period with determination. Smith would open and close the Knighthawks scoring in the frame and Ryan Lanchbury (2g, 2a) added to the home team score with his first of two scores on the night. Buffalo maintained the lead with key goals from Kyle Buchanan, Josh Bryne who put up back-to-back markers less than 60 seconds apart, and Fraser notching his second with 3:06 in the third. The Bandits closed the quarter with a 12-8 lead.
In a nail-biting fourth, Smith would continue his scoring streak putting up the first two for Rochester. The Knighthawks would mount a late comeback outscoring the Bandits 6-2 with goals from Fields with his fourth on the night, Kyle Waters (1g, 2a), followed by Lanchbury tallying his second to get them to within one and a 14-13 game with 4:19 to go. But the Bandits would get one more from Cloutier with 3:36 in the contest putting them back up by two, 15-13. With 1:20 left in the frame, Rochester would answer back with one from Dan Lomas (1g 2a) to make it 15-14, but they could not find the back of the net again and it wouldn’t be enough as the Bandits went on to secure the win. Final Score: Bandits 15—Knighthawks 14.
STATS:
Rochester Knighthawks—SOG 61; Saves 41; Sv% .732%; FO 23-33; PP 2-4
Buffalo Bandits—SOG 56; Saves 50; Sv% .781%; FO 10-33; PP 1-1
NEXT UP:
The Rochester Knighthawks (3-4) will be looking to seek redemption against the Georgia Swarm (5-4) when they host the Swarm at Blue Cross Arena on Saturday February 10, 2024, game time 7:00 p.m. EST. Fans in the USA can see the game on ESPN+. Fans in Canada get to see the action on TSN+.
The Buffalo Bandits (5-3) will enjoy a bye week before heading to Nova Scotia to face the Halifax Thunderbirds (4-3) at ScotiaBank Centre on Friday February 16, 2024, game time 6:30 p.m. EST. Fans in the USA can see the game on ESPN+. Fans in Canada get to see the action on TSN+.
Christopher Crane, Rochester Knighthawks Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©