Justin Ivey, Co-Editor
Lacrosse is Awesome©
Featured Image Photo Credit: Caroline Sherman
The Buffalo Bandits (5-6) and Saskatchewan Rush (10-2) hadn’t played since May 24, 2025, until last night. In that Finals Game 3, the Bandits pulled out a 15-6 victory to clinch the series. At halftime last night, Buffalo led Saskatchewan 8-4 in a back-and-forth game they desperately needed to win. The Bandits were a defensive force throughout the night, consistently blocking shots in all situations, and Josh Byrne (1G, 7A) continued to be a nightmare for Saskatchewan. He now has 32 points (9G, 23A) in five career meetings against the Rush. Saskatchewan entered as the #1 team in 2026, and their high-powered offense kept pace throughout the evening. They never exploded for a substantial run, though, as they played from behind all night — until the fourth quarter. A strong second half, anchored by the defense, mounted a tense comeback as they held Buffalo scoreless in the final frame. The Rush tied the game on a goal from Robert Church (2G, 4A) with 56 seconds left, but Byrne was the overtime hero, scoring his lone goal of the night in extra time. Final Score: Saskatchewan Rush – 10, Buffalo Bandits – 11.
The Bandits struck first. Tehoka Nanticoke (2G, 2A) cut to the crease around two screens, caught a pass from Byrne, and finished past a dropping Fran Scigliano (11GA, 37SV). On their first power play opportunity, just a minute and a half into the game, Buffalo scored again. Ian MacKay (4G, 1A) found time and space, dropped his shoulder, and sniped the top corner to put Buffalo up 2-0. Shortly after killing off a Nanticoke penalty, Kyle Buchanan (2G, 1A) increased the run to three. He pushed the ball from low to high and hit the top right corner after stopping on a dime during his cut. Finally, Josh Zawada (1G) got the Rush on the board. On the possession after the faceoff, he pulled a swim move to the net, jumped across the crease, and pushed the ball over Matt Vinc’s (10GA, 43SV) shoulders. Saskatchewan trailed 3-1 with 5:32 remaining in the opening quarter. Clay Scanlan (1G) quickly responded for Buffalo, driving to the net himself. The Rush answered in transition when Matt Hossack (1G) put his full body behind a shot from the left side that found the net. Buffalo called timeout before the final possession, and it paid off. With 1.3 seconds left, Buchanan scored his second goal of the quarter. The highlight was a quick dunk from behind the net, again assisted by Byrne — his fifth assist of the quarter. At the end of the first, Buffalo led Saskatchewan 5-2.
MacKay opened the scoring in the second quarter. Just 2:53 in, he caught a rebound off the back boards and quickly buried it from the crease. Ryan Keenan (4G, 1A) answered for the Rush. Nearly a minute later, he took a long run to the top of the offensive zone and finished across his body. Seven seconds into a Rush power play — following an illegal block in the crease on Buffalo — Zach Manns (1G, 4A) stepped into a submarine shot without hesitation. The Rush had their first two-goal run of the night and, at the under-10 TV timeout, had cut the deficit to three.
The next shift brought a Rush penalty. Brock Haley went to the box with 7:50 left in the half for illegal substitution, and Nanticoke found space to dive across the crease for another close-range goal. MacKay extended the Buffalo run to two, cutting hard to the net in transition to complete his first-half hat trick. He finished a great feed from Dhane Smith (4A), who recorded his fourth assist of the night. With 2:31 remaining, Mike Messenger (2A) went to the box for elbowing, giving Buffalo a chance to extend the lead. They couldn’t find a clean look but did earn the final possession. After a timeout with 22.8 seconds on the clock, they still couldn’t get a shot off. At halftime, Buffalo led Saskatchewan 8-4.
Church needed just 32 seconds in the third to cut the deficit to three. After scooping up a loose ball, he stepped into a high-to-low shot that found the net. Keenan made it two quick Rush goals after being left wide open on the crease during a Buffalo switch just over a minute later. Buffalo finally answered when Byrne spun through a pick and delivered a quick pass to a wide-open MacKay, who one-timed it into an open net. Byrne’s seventh assist tied his season high. Austin Shanks (1G, 1A) responded just over a minute later, keeping the back-and-forth theme alive.
Both goalies traded big saves over the next several minutes, and at the under-five TV timeout, Buffalo led 9-7. Steve Priolo (1G, 1A) bulled down the floor in transition and buried a falling shot with two minutes remaining. Another Buffalo goal was overturned with 1:34 left after Nanticoke was ruled in the crease before the ball crossed the line. At the end of the third, Buffalo led 10-7.
Keenan jump-started the Rush in the fourth. Just 3:41 in, he fired a shot around his defender from outside. Saskatchewan had another opportunity when Paul Dawson went to the box for an illegal body check but couldn’t capitalize. Both goalies stood tall as neither team scored for more than ten minutes. With under two minutes left, the Rush pulled Scigliano for the extra attacker. With exactly 1:30 on the clock, Keenan scored his fourth of the game off a rebound from Vinc’s stick.
The Rush regained possession with just over a minute left and called timeout. On the set play, Church fired an overhand high-to-low shot over two defenders sealed by Shanks. The ball was thrown hard but trickled into the net under Vinc. The game was tied with 56 seconds remaining.
Buffalo secured the final possession of regulation and called timeout with 20.4 seconds left. With Vinc on the bench, Buffalo began the set with eight seconds remaining, but it ended in an intercepted pass. Saskatchewan held Buffalo scoreless for the entire fourth quarter. At the end of regulation, the teams were tied 10-10.
Up Next:
The Saskatchewan Rush (10-2) have a quick turnaround and travel to play the Rochester Knighthawks on Saturday, February 28 at 7:00 PM EST.
The Buffalo Bandits (5-6) also have a quick turnaround and travel to play the Toronto Rock on Saturday, February 28 at 7:00 PM EST.