Justin Ivey, Co-Editor
Lacrosse is Awesome©
Near the conclusion of last season, the Buffalo Bandits (4-6) swept the Vancouver Warriors (7-3) on their way to their third straight NLL Finals win. This season, wins have not come easy for the Bandits and they sit below the playoff line, an unusual spot. The Warriors find themselves in the top three of the league, riding a strong defense and high-powered offense on the floor every night. Last night, the Warriors hosted the Bandits for Rock & Roll night at Rogers Arena and even though the two teams don’t face each other often, there was an intensity on the turf that led to six combined powerplay opportunities and some exceptional lacrosse runs. Vancouver grabbed momentum early, but Buffalo fought back in a big second quarter for the halftime lead. Undeterred, the Warriors battled back for the lead in the third quarter and held on for the win. Final Score: Buffalo Bandits – 9, Vancouver Warriors – 11.
The Bandits opened the scoring with a Ryan Benesch (1G) goal 2:31 into play. Benesch caught a behind the back pass from Josh Byrne (2G, 3A) after a pick and roll and easily pushed the ball past Christian Del Bianco (9GA, 38SV). Vancouver answered immediately as Jesse King (3G, 2A) cut hard to the net, caught a pass from Keegan Bal (2G, 4A), and scored just ten seconds after Benesch. The teams flew up and down the floor in the next few minutes and Vancouver found the next opening. Owen Grant (1G, 1A) streaked ahead in transition and scored with a twister after a failed Buffalo offensive possession. After winning the ensuing faceoff, Vancouver got another quick goal off the stick of Curtis Dickson (4G, 2A), who launched a missile from outside that scored short side on Matt Vinc (11GA, 28SV). Now leading 3-1 after giving up the opening goal, the Warriors added one more before the quarter ended, a quick stick goal from the crease off the stick of King. At the end of the first quarter, Vancouver led Buffalo 4-1.
Adam Charalambides (1G, 2A) struck first in the second quarter, rolling around the cage on a pick before launching a sidearm shot that extended the Vancouver lead to four goals. Buffalo answered with a run for the ages, scoring six goals in just over four minutes. The first came from Nick Weiss (1G) who barreled his way to the front of the cage one on one in transition for a much-needed Buffalo goal. 58 seconds later, Byrne caught a soft airy rebound after an Ian MacKay (4A) shot was turned aside and easily hit the net with Del Bianco out of position. Taylor Dooley (1A) found Byrne cutting to the net in an odd man break on the next Buffalo possession, and he caught the pass before jumping through the crease for another quick goal. The game tying goal came from the stick of veteran Kyle Buchanon (3G). With 6:22 remaining, he quick sticked another deflected shot into the net. Tehoka Nanticoke (1G) gave Buffalo the lead with 5:50 left, finishing one handed with his defender wrapped all over him on a cut to the net. 34 seconds later, Dhane Smith (1G, 3A), credited with the assists on the previous two goals, got his third point of the night and his only goal. The unassisted score was an effort goal. Initially missing a shot from outside, he found his own rebound for an easy score. Finally, Vancouver found some relief. With 20 seconds left in the half and only 2 seconds left in a power play opportunity, Dickson scored streaking from the bench in transition. At the half, Buffalo led Vancouver 7-6.
Vancouver watched their four goal second quarter lead disappear in the latter half of the quarter, and Buffalo did not show any signs they were going to let up entering the second half. The teams got a bit chippy at the end of the half, and the animosity carried over. Vancouver focused on business and pitched a perfect quarter in response. While holding Buffalo scoreless, they scored four, flipping their one goal deficit into a three-goal lead. Bal scored the first two of the quarter, and the Warriors lead was restored with 8:12 left in the third. The first goal was a bounce shot in traffic after a pick and roll with Dickson. The second came nearly four minutes later. Late in the shot clock he launched a bouncer that scored short side from outside. Dickson put in the third with 3:13 left with a low to high beauty from outside. With an extra attacker and time winding down in the quarter, King scored with a bouncer after a great set play with two seconds left. At the end of the third quarter, Vancouver led Buffalo 10-7.
Buchanan put on his best superhero cape in the fourth quarter to lead a Buffalo comeback. First, he scored on a power play opportunity with 8:37 left in the game to cut the lead down to two. He was left open and able to walk into the center before choosing his corner. The Vancouver defense stood strong for four minutes before Buchanan scored again. With the shot clock winding down, Smith found him on the crease where he tiptoed and scored over Del Bianco’s shoulder. Buffalo was now down just one with 4:29 left. Unfortunately, the good fortune ended there. Dickson scored his hat trick goal with 13 seconds left after Vancouver stood tall on defense. Final Score: Buffalo Bandits – 9, Vancouver Warriors – 11.
Up Next:
The Buffalo Bandits () host the Saskatchewan Rush on Friday, February 27 at 7:30 PM EST.
The Vancouver Warriors () travel to play the Las Vegas Desert Dogs on Friday, February 27 at 10:00 PM EST.