Justin Ivey, Co-Editor
Lacrosse is Awesome©
The Buffalo Bandits (11-6) hosted the Rochester Knighthawks (6-10) Saturday night at KeyBank Center with the goal of continuing their win streak as the playoffs approach. Winners of six straight coming into last night’s matchup, the defending champion Bandits have firmly overcome their early-season struggles and are firing on all cylinders. The visiting Knighthawks entered the game with a statistical chance to make the playoffs and needed a win to continue their push toward the postseason. They beat Buffalo on January 10 in a 12-9 win in Rochester, but unfortunately could not repeat the magic. The Bandits led from start to finish, with big nights from Josh Byrne (3G, 4A) and Dhane Smith (2G, 5A). The defense held the ever-dangerous Connor Field (4A) without a goal and allowed only one Knighthawk to score more than once, Blaze Riorden (2G). In the second-to-last weekend of the regular season, the Bandits flexed with a statement win against Rochester. Final Score: Rochester Knighthawks – 6, Buffalo Bandits – 12.
Smith opened the scoring in front of the Banditland crowd. After a pick-and-roll action with Joe Resetarits (1G, 2A), Smith was left alone in front of Ryan Hartley (11GA, 42SV) for an easy deke and finish. Byrne made it a two-goal lead just under a minute later, dodging hard from the wing and finishing bar down with a powerful shot. Rochester quickly answered. After winning the next faceoff, the ball found Zed Williams (1G), who quickly made a decision and fired a bounce shot through the legs of Matt Vinc (6GA, 43SV). Following a Rochester penalty, Kyle Buchanan (2G, 4A) danced through the man-down defense for his first goal of the night and the 700th point of his career. Scoring slowed before Buchanan struck again in the first quarter. With 1:58 on the clock, he caught a flip from Smith and unleashed an underhand shot from the top that hit Hartley before continuing across the goal line. At the end of the first quarter, Buffalo led Rochester 4-1.
Buffalo captain Steve Priolo (1G) found the net first in the second quarter. After stopping a Rochester possession off the faceoff, the Bandits pushed in transition, and after some passing, Priolo posted up, spun, and fired past a surprised Hartley. The Knighthawks found space and responded with two straight goals. Ryan Lanchbury (1G, 4A) quickly fired a bounce shot from outside after a cross-turf pass from Fields. Riorden added the second on Rochester’s second power-play opportunity of the game just before the under-10 TV timeout. After the break, Buffalo regained control. Byrne stepped in from the bench and unleashed a laser over the defense that found the net with 7:44 left. Just over two minutes later, Ian MacKay (2G, 2A) scored from the crease after scooping a rebound off a Buchanan shot. Jacob Piseno (1G) halted the Bandits run, scoring in transition for the Knighthawks just over a minute later. At the half, Buffalo led Rochester 7-4.
Rochester struggled to find momentum coming into the second half and allowed Buffalo to extend their lead to five goals before finding the net. Byrne opened the scoring 3:37 into the quarter while the teams were playing four-on-four, launching another outside shot that hit Hartley and rolled in. Almost five minutes later, Resetarits scored his lone goal of the game after a pick-and-roll with Smith left him alone in front of the crease for an easy finish. The Knighthawks cut the lead to four when Ryan Smith (1G, 1A) scored with 5:07 remaining, but MacKay restored the five-goal cushion with his second of the night with 3:04 left in the quarter. At the end of the third quarter, Buffalo led Rochester 10-5.
The fourth quarter featured a clean penalty sheet for both teams. Buffalo used full possessions and controlled the pace offensively, while the defense continued to frustrate the Knighthawks. Riorden provided a temporary spark for the visitors, scoring a gritty rebound goal with 13:20 left in the game, but that was all the offense could produce. Buffalo maintained their lead despite going more than 13 minutes without scoring. Smith finally broke the drought with his second goal of the game, launching an overhand shot from outside. With just under six minutes to play, Buffalo again led by five. Rochester pulled Hartley early for the extra attacker, but Mitch de Snoo (1G, 1A) launched a ball from the defensive zone that never touched the ground before crossing the crease and finding the net for the final goal of the game. Final Score: Rochester Knighthawks – 6, Buffalo Bandits – 12.
Up Next:
The Rochester Knighthawks (6-10) travel to play the Georgia Swarm on Saturday, April 18 at 4:00 PM EDT.
The Buffalo Bandits (11-6) travel to play the Oshawa Firewolves on Saturday, April 18 at 7:00 PM EDT.