Buffalo Bandits Cast Shadow on Mammoth

The Buffalo Bandits defeated the Colorado Mammoth in a strange and close contest by a score of 13-11. This was a strange game because the second quarter and third quarter accounted for very little scoring from either team. There have been times throughout the year that we have seen the Bandits offense fall asleep, but to have it happen to both teams at the same time during the game was strange. From the 2:03 mark in the first quarter until three seconds left in the second quarter neither team scored a goal. The third quarter was not much different. The Bandits went on a stretch of 24 minutes and 31 seconds without a goal. When the Bandits did finally score again, they went quiet for another six minutes and twelve seconds before firing a couple of quick goals to end the third. There were 9 goals scored in the first quarter, 1 in the second, 4 in the third, and then 10 in the fourth quarter. It felt like both teams agreed to start hot and finish hot with the Bandits scoring the final three goals of the game to seal the victory.

The offense was hot and cold and cold and hot. The biggest issue we have had with the offense all season long has been the long stretches of play without scoring. As I mentioned previously, this happened again in this game with the Bandits not scoring a goal for over 24 minutes straight. Luckily for the Bandits, Colorado almost matched them on a similar stretch. The middle of this game was sloppy. Neither offense found much of a rhythm nor grabbed many loose ball rebounds on offensive possessions. Dillow Ward played well, but I still think it was a weird offensive game. The Bandits have not been held to under 50 SOG since they played the Halifax Thunderbirds seven games ago. Dhane Smith (5g, 1a) has not been held to under four assists and Josh Byrne (3g, 4a) has not been held to under nine shots in a game all season! Like I said, it was a strange game.

Overall, the defense played well. The defense only allowed seven even strength goals. The addition of Justin Martin was a strength and a weakness. I thought he played well on an individual level. However, you could tell there were times there was miscommunication and the defense did not play as a unit. It feels like every week this team is getting closer to being healthy. With that comes an ever-changing active roster of players that have not played together at the same time this season. I think we are discovering it is harder for a defense to have multiple injuries throughout the year than it is an offense. Now, it may have been different if Dhane Smith went down last year, but the offense was able to hold together last season while the defense was great. This year, the defense has been struggling to put it all together and play as a unit with the injuries they have endured while the offense has been the best in the league. The Bandits are now 9-7 despite scoring a league-high 13+ goals per game. The Bandits finished 6th in goals for and 3rd in goals against last year with a record of 14-4. A few teams have only played fifteen games, but so far this season the Bandits are one of three teams that have allowed over 200 goals against. It appears, based on this small sample size, that having a consistent defense results in more wins than having a consistent offense. I would have to look, but I feel like this is how the Toronto Rock have been successful the last few years as well.

Half of the special team's unit did great, and half did not so great. The power play converted 3-of-6 of their power play opportunities. The negative for the power play was their inability to once again score on a 5-on-3 opportunity. They did have a couple of great chances, but Ward was there to stop every one of them. However, a big key to the victory was their ability to score on half of their chances. On the other side of things, the penalty kill did not do a great job allowing Colorado to score on 4-of-6 of their chances. Colorado’s offense did a great job finding different ways to score on their man up opportunities. A couple of the chances the Bandits did not make the best plays. However, I think a lot of the credit needs to go to Colorado’s offense on the power play.

The Bandits started strong, disappeared a bit in the middle, and finished strong. This game was much like their season so far. The Bandits started the season 5-3 before struggling in the middle but now have won 4 of their last 5 games. The offense fell silent for 24 plus minutes and were still able to come away with another 13-goal effort. The defense only allowed seven even strength goals as they continue to get healthy and attempt to gel as a unit before the season is over. The Bandits are finishing this season on a high note. There are only two games left to play. They still have an opportunity to finish inside the top four if they get a little bit of help and take care of business on their end. Their final home game next week, fan appreciation night, will not be easy, but another one they can win.

Goaltender Breakdown        

In this segment, I will breakdown how the goalies, offense and defense all performed on the goals in the game. How many were impressive goals, breakdowns in the defense or on the goalie.         

Dillon Ward

Inside – 6

Mid-Range - 5

Outside – 1

*3 of the goals were on the penalty kill

Matt Vinc          

Inside – 4

Mid-Range - 4

Outside – 3

*4 of the goals were on the penalty kill

1st goal – Bit of a transition play, no one on defense picked up Kelly allowing a great shot opportunity, the defense was slow to get on the field

2nd goal – Shorthanded goal, just an incredible play by Kinnear

3rd goal – Eli with a great shot off a rebound and broken play

4th goal – PP Goal - Zed did a nice job getting inside, Dawson did not step out to challenge fast enough

5th goal – Rug burner screened shot that just snuck under Dawson's shot block attempt

6th goal – PP Goal - fake shot to the player behind the net with the diving goal

7th goal – PP Goal/5v3 - great bounce shot by Kelly

8th goal – PP Goal - poor play by the defense, Colorado set a hard pick to drive Weiss backwards and then Martin was caught in a tough spot

9th goal – Bad play by the defense allowed an in tight goal. Bomberry was slow on the switch off with Weiss

10th goal – Williams shoved Robinson out of the way to get free in front of the net

11th goal – Defense was slow to react to Williams coming off the bench who fired a good shot

0/12 on Vinc

3/12 on the defense

Challenges by the Bandits – 0

Referee Corner         

Like many of the fans out there, I find myself often questioning what the refs are doing on the field. From no goals and players being ejected, to calls that simply do not make sense. In this segment, I will attempt to use the rulebook and my best judgement to understand some hot topics from the previous game.             

Bandits – 3/6 on the PP

Colorado – 4/6 on the PP

Steve Priolo – Dead Ball Foul – Priolo got in the face of Zed Williams after Eli McLaughlin scored a goal – good call

Steve Priolo – Holding – McLaughlin caught Priolo a bit flat footed and Priolo held him as Eli ran past him – good call

Nick Weiss – Roughing – Weiss kneed Villa in the head after shoving him to the ground, there was no need to do it – good call

Adam Bomberry – Holding – This call seemed a bit on the weaker side. The Colorado player continued to back into Bomberry and eventually fell in the crease. Bomberry did not complain much so I will assume he held a little. It seemed iffy but that is how the refs were calling the game – good call

Adam Bomberry – Boarding – I think this call was made mainly from a safety perspective. If anyone else checks the player that isn’t as big and physical as Bomberry, I do not think the player is launched awkwardly into the boards. Anywhere else on the field and I think it is a legal hit. It could have been let go but I understand it from a safety standpoint – good call

Steve Priolo – Slashing – Priolo partly went for the ball, mainly went for the heavy slash on Robinson’s leg and then added another for good measure. With the Bandits already on the penalty kill Priolo needs to be smarter than that – good call

6/6 – good calls

I thought the referees were policing this game tightly. These two teams do not like each other, and it has become a big rivalry. I understand the refs trying to keep the game as calm as possible. They did a nice job being consistent and calling an even game.