Justin Ivey, Co-Editor
Lacrosse is Awesome©
The Buffalo Bandits (10-6), donning special Marvel jerseys, hosted the Vancouver Warriors (11-5) at KeyBank Center on Saturday night. The Warriors started the night atop the NLL standings and had already clinched a playoff spot. The Bandits have yet to clinch but came in winners of five straight games, a late-season push that has seen them climb to the middle of the field. The streaking Bandits took control of the game by halftime. Josh Byrne (4G, 6A) led the charge with three of his four goals in the first half while also dishing three assists. Matt Vinc (5GA, 22SV) held the Vancouver offense to just one score in the second half as Buffalo continued to rack up goals. A total of 81 penalty minutes were assessed in the fourth quarter alone as frustrations boiled over multiple times. Final Score: Vancouver Warriors – 5, Buffalo Bandits – 15.
The Warriors struck first less than a minute into play as Adam Charalambides (2G, 2A) quick-sticked a cross-turf pass from Keegan Bal (1G, 1A) after being left open on the crease. Joe Resetarits (3G, 1A) answered for Buffalo after rolling up from the side of the net and launching an overhand shot that beat Christian Del Bianco (13GA, 32SV). Charalambides put the Warriors back on top on their next possession, finding himself open in the middle of the zone and scoring five-hole after strong offensive motion. Under a minute later, Dhane Smith (2G, 7A) tied the game again, muscling his way to the middle of the floor and overpowering his defender for space. Ian MacKay (2G, 4A) put Buffalo in front with his 21st goal of the season on a power play, as Smith fired the ball to him near the crease and he pushed it into the open net with 1:59 to play. At the end of the first quarter, Buffalo led Vancouver 3-2.
The Bandits struck quickly in the second quarter, extending their run to three goals. Dylan Robinson (1G, 1A) pushed the ball forward off the faceoff, weaved through traffic for a clean scoop, and continued all alone toward the net for the score just eight seconds into the quarter. Vancouver responded and tied the game with a pair of goals, starting with Bal sniping the top glove-side corner after finding space off a screen just 30 seconds after the Robinson goal. Almost two minutes later, Marcus Klarich (2G, 2A) scored in similar fashion on the other side of the zone, rolling down off a pick and firing high to low with his hands free.
The Bandits then kicked into overdrive as the defense stood tall and the offense dictated the pace. Over the remainder of the quarter, they scored four unanswered goals. Resetarits started the run with his second of the night on a running shot, and Byrne followed just 24 seconds later with a bounce shot from outside. After a brief scoring lull, Byrne struck again with a delayed penalty and an extra attacker entering the zone, quickly releasing a high-to-low shot that hugged the post. With 1:45 left to play, Byrne completed his first-half hat trick from nearly the same spot, firing over a crowd of players as Del Bianco got most of it before it bounced into the net. At the half, Buffalo led Vancouver 8-4.
The third quarter started with fireworks before both defenses settled in. The teams combined for just three goals in the quarter, with the Bandits accounting for two of them. Clay Scanlan (1G) opened the scoring with a diving goal after Byrne delivered a perfect pass on a pick-and-roll. Vancouver ended Buffalo’s run 3:32 into the quarter as Klarich unleashed a low-to-low shot while running full speed through the zone that found the bottom corner. Buffalo answered with a highlight from Kyle Buchanon (2G), who was posted up behind the net, caught a pass from Byrne, and dove around for the dunk to the far post. At the end of the third quarter, Buffalo led Vancouver 10-5.
Byrne extended the Bandits lead to six just 19 seconds into the fourth quarter with another overhand bounce shot, and tensions immediately began to rise. Just 10 seconds after the goal, both teams sent two players to the box following a scrum in front of the Bandits crease that knocked the net off. Buffalo capitalized on the man advantage with two goals, the first coming on a jumping crease finish from Buchanon and the second on a Smith bounce shot from the middle of the zone. Connor O’Toole (2GA, 9SV) replaced Del Bianco in net, and Ryan Dilks was assessed a 10-minute conduct foul, leaving Vancouver in a hole they could not escape. Fights continued to break out as Buffalo kept adding on. Resetarits completed his hat trick with just under 10 minutes to play, and MacKay added another with just over three minutes remaining. Final Score: Vancouver Warriors – 5, Buffalo Bandits – 15.
Up Next:
The Vancouver Warriors (11-5) host the Halifax Thunderbirds on Friday, April 10 at 9:00 PM EDT.
The Buffalo Bandits (10-6) host the Rochester Knighthawks on Saturday, April 11 at 7:00 PM EDT.