The Bandits Roll Some Rocks to Win the East
The Buffalo Bandits defeated the Toronto Rock in one of the best mid-season games we have seen in a long time. Despite being down 4-2 after the first half, the Bandits had no reason to hang their heads heading into the locker room. After the first half of their previous matchup, the Bandits were down 11-5. From a fan and analyst perspective being down 4-2 seemed like a win but also a big mountain to climb against the league’s best defense. After allowing a quick goal to open the third quarter, the Bandits were able to rattle off the game’s biggest run of four goals to take their first lead. From there it was a lot of back and forth lacrosse with the Bandits eventually taking a two goal lead. In typical Buffalo versus Toronto fashion the game came down to the final possession for Toronto but Matt Vinc came up big and pulled out the win for the Bandits 11-10.
Last week I avoided talking about the offense until later in the article so this week let's kick it off with them. Not only did the Bandits offense score more in the second half than Toronto typically lets in all game but there were once again reasons to be positive about the unit. Toronto is known to have the best defense and one of the best goalies in the game. The Bandits typically shoot the ball around 45 to 50 times a game. In this game, not only were they able to have 60 recorded shots but Toronto also blocked eight shots and seemed to deflect even more. One of the biggest reasons for the uptick in shots and productive offense was the return of Tehoka Nanticoke. It goes without saying that the team missed his presence. He finished the game with only one goal and one assist but added ten shots and contributed in many ways that do not show up on the score sheet including drawing a late game penalty that helped seal the win.
With all the injuries the offense has faced this year the depth scoring has been hit or miss with different players contributing at different times. This game it was Chase Fraser stepping up with his first hat trick of the season. One of the best things about Fraser’s hat trick was the way in which he scored a few of the goals. Last year, this team was known for scoring highlight reel goals all the time. Fraser was able to bring a bit of that swagger and attitude back to the offense that desperately needed it. Watching Kyle Buchanan score a behind the back goal just moments after Fraser went between the legs is exactly what Buffalo needed to regain some confidence from the offense.
Matt Vinc and the defense had their work cut out for them after allowing 18 goals against Toronto just three weeks ago. Toronto will likely finish the year with the second most goals for of any team. The Bandits were able to do everything right, except once, to keep the Rock’s offense under control. The penalty kill only allowed one goal on four opportunities. Vinc made plenty of incredible plays and finished the game with 44 saves. The defense allowed minimal inside chances for the Rock as they only scored three times from in tight. The biggest shut down by the Bandits was keeping the Rock transition game under control. The Bandits only allowed one goal in transition while the Rock are known for scoring multiple transition goals every game.
There is one last aspect of this game I am going to touch on. Normally I have minimal to no complaints about the referees. However, in this game I thought they were rather inconsistent in what they were calling a penalty. I believe both teams got away with some violent actions and other times were called for fouls that seemed rather soft. Overall, both teams ended with similar power play opportunities so I do not believe it affected the outcome of the game. I thought the refs should have called a slightly closer game as both teams were getting away with violent penalties. Josh Byrne took a nasty cross check to the face while Nick Weiss was called for cross checking with one hand on the stick. The inconsistency caused both teams to play a wild game of lacrosse.
The Buffalo Bandits have earned the Eastern Division title for the third straight year. Possibly more important than that, the Bandits beat arguably the best team in the league. If there was anything this team needed it was a little bit of confidence on offense while being able to take down the Rock in the process. The offense has one more game to gel while fully healthy (outside of Brandon Robinson) before heading to playoffs.
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.
Nick Rose
Inside - 4
Outside - 7
*1 goal was on the penalty kill
Matt Vinc
Inside - 3
Outside - 7
*1 goal was on the penalty kill
Goal 1 – Quick transition goal
Goal 2 – Power play goal
Goal 3 – Schreiber with a long shot around a screen, Vinc looked like he wanted that one back
Goal 4 – Great passing on a set play right before half
Goal 5 – Nice outside shot by Rodgers
Goal 6 – Schreiber outside shot, again Vinc looked like he wants that one back as well
Goal 7 – Again Schreiber from a tough angle and again Vinc not happy about it
Goal 8 – Off the cross bar, off Vinc and in, very unlucky
Goal 9 – Rodgers took the entire defense with him and scored a nice inside goal
Goal 10 – Nice outside bounce shot by Small
3/10 on Vinc judging by his own reaction
Vinc finished the game with 44 saves including two massive saves at the end of the game to lead the Bandits to victory.
The offense continued the momentum they built from their win against the NY Riptide. Not only is it impressive to score eleven goals against the Rock, it is even more impressive to score nine of those in one half.
Challenges 1…ish
The Bandits attempted to challenge a play but it was called back for being challenged too late. I did a freeze frame on the replay and I do believe this goal would have been called back had the challenge been allowed. On the broadcast, ESPN was showing a replay of the goal so I am not sure how long it took John Tavares to throw the flag but I do believe this is the first time all year a challenge has been disallowed.
.5/1
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 – 1-5 on the PP
Toronto – 1-4 on the PP
Chase Fraser – Roughing – This immediately goes to the second man in mentality. Mitch De Snoo was playing very rough defense on Fraser who did not appreciate it. The reason Fraser ended up with the extra roughing call is that he punched De Snoo in the face. Had he not done that I think it would have stayed as even roughing calls - good call
Ian MacKay – Holding – Ian MacKay grabbed a hold of the Rock player’s facemask and ripped it off, simply cannot do that – good call
Ethan O’Conner - Cross Checking – This is a great example of the inconsistency throughout the game. I thought this was hardly a cross check that was sold by the Rock player. We saw much worse not get called – bad call
Nick Weiss – Cross Checking – Initially called a push from behind on the field, which it was not. I do not believe this was cross checking either with one hand on the stick. If anything this could have been called a slash as Weiss took a big swing at Brad Kri’s back. However, I agree with the announcers that this was not a penalty. This once again goes back to the inconsistency of the refs during the game – bad call
2/4 – good calls
Often times I have no complaints about the refs even if they miss a call here and there. This game was not called very well as players did not know what was allowed and what was not. The physicality between both teams got out of hand and the refs did not control it well.