The Buffalo Bandits Split the Weekend
The Buffalo Bandits had an up and down weekend as they defeated the Las Vegas Desert Dogs with ease but lost a tight overtime battle against the Albany Firewolves. The Bandits have lost three games this year, two of which have been in overtime, in the second game of a double header weekend. Even though the Bandits dropped the second game, this weekend was a success with plenty of promising signs from the team.
The aspects that will be discussed in this article will come from both games combined, unless noted otherwise. I have been harping on Chris Cloutier and the left side of the offense, outside of Josh Byrne, for the last couple of articles and last four games. Cloutier finished the weekend with an impressive 4 goals, and 3 assists for 7 points. As mentioned in my previous article, Cloutier had only 1 goal and 5 assists in his last four games. He needed a big weekend to snap out of his skid and he got it. Ian MacKay had 4 goals and 1 assist for 5 points as he came out of the front door for the first time in a while. This team, especially the offense, is at its best when MacKay is predominately on offense. I didn’t think I would ever say that given how incredible he is at defense and in transition, but it is what the team currently needs from him. MacKay already has a career high in points with four games left to go. Another player that was in an uncharacteristic skid was Dhane Smith. Smith finished with 4 goals and 9 assists for 13 points. During his skid he was averaging just 4 points per game. This was a big bounce back weekend for the former MVP. The other half of the dynamic duo also had an incredible weekend leading the Bandits forwards with 3 goals, and 12 assists for 15 points. As great of weekends as they had, hopefully the dynamic duo finds their scoring touch before playoffs as they combined for just a 14.8 shooting percentage. They are too talented to have such a low percentage. I understand they shoot more often than other forwards, but maybe they need to be a bit more selective in their shots.
Rookie Lukas Nielsen saw the first NLL action of his career playing in both games over the weekend. A few things stood out to me. First, his physicality. He showed no hesitation going into the boards, fighting for loose balls, knocking goalies over and throwing big hits. Second, his confidence. On the weekend he shot the ball 10 times and finished with 1 goal and 1 assist. The numbers don’t jump off the page, but his willingness to take shots is good to see. A few times we have seen rookies come into the Bandits offense and be hesitant to shoot the ball with so many offensive veterans on the team. Overall, I thought Nielsen looked good in his debut, especially given the fact that he is only 20 years old.
The defense performed well in both games. There were some breakdowns that led to goals, but they played well. It is tough for the defense to be consistent with different players cycling in and out of the lineup and still getting comfortable with Kiel Matisz and Ron John. I think this showed up the most in the number of blocked shots on the weekend and the caused turnovers against Albany. On the weekend, the Bandits only had 9 blocked shots. In their previous game against the Calgary Roughnecks, they had 17 blocked shots. One of the team leaders in blocked shots was missing in game two as Cam Wyers was placed on the injured reserve. Against the Desert Dogs the halftime score is what matters as the team let up and changed the lineup a bit in the second half. An 11-2 score was a great success against a bad team. Against the Firewolves, the defense only allowed 9 even strength goals in regulation. That’s not too bad for the second game of the weekend. However, the dynamic stats simply weren’t there. Between the blocked shots and the caused turnovers, the defense was lacking a bit. At the same time, Wyers was out, Taylor Dooley was in, and Dylan Robinson made his return from injury. All these factors impact a defenses communication and ability to play off each other. It will be interesting to see, when everyone is healthy, what this roster and especially the defense, looks like.
The penalty kill continued to roll on and do what it does best, kill penalties. They finished the weekend with a 66.6 kill percentage which is right where you want to be. The power play on the other hand, continues to struggle. At some point, much sooner than later, the power play needs to be fixed. It has not affected the Bandits ability to win throughout the season, but it might when it comes to playoff lacrosse. The Bandits finished the weekend converting only 37.5 percent of their power play chances. With how talented the Bandits offense is, this number needs to be closer to 50 percent every game.
The Bandits are entering the final stretch of their season in a great spot. They play four teams that are currently sitting in playoff contention. I would much rather have the Bandits tested by playoff teams to end the season, rather than playing Las Vegas and the Philadelphia Wings twice. The “easy” wins would be great and go a long way in helping the Bandits securing home field advantage throughout the playoffs. However, the Bandits are going for their third straight championship. They need to be tested down the stretch to continue to learn how to be the best version of themselves headed into their 5th straight playoffs.
Game 1 vs Las Vegas
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.
Landon Kells/Justin Geddie
Inside – 9
Mid-Range - 3
Outside – 1
Transition - 1
*2 goals were on the penalty kill
*0 empty net goals
Matt Vinc
Inside – 3
Mid-Range - 4
Outside – 1
Transition -
*2 of the goals were on the penalty kill
Steve Orleman
Inside - 0
Mid-Range - 1
Outside - 1
Goal 1 – Nick Weiss was caught napping and let Jackson slip behind the net. Jackson was able to score a nifty behind the net dunk goal. (D)
Goal 2 – PP goal – 5-on-3, what are you going to do
Goal 3 – A perfectly placed shot on Vinc, went in the only place it could, off the bar and in
Goal 4 – PP goal – Donville walked right down main street and fired a hard low shot that snuck through
Goal 5 – It looked like the defense was not playing strong enough on the 5-on-3 power play and let Donville get behind them (D)
Goal 6 – No defender was pressed on the player allowing a free shot that snuck short side on Vinc, bad play all around (D, V)
Goal 7 – Off angle high shot, well placed, nice play
Goal 8 – Belter gets a bit lost in a switch and loses Pilcher who scores an in tight goal (D)
Goal 9 – Sneaky shot over Orleman’s shoulder
Goal 10 – It looked like a screened shot on the 6-on-5 opportunity
1/8 on Vinc
0/2 on Orleman
3/10 on the defense
Challenges by the Bandits – 0/1
I am not sure if this was an official review under two-minutes or asked for by the Bandits, but a goal by the Desert Dogs was disallowed after the non-shooter was found in the crease – good overturn
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 – 2 for 4 on the PP
Desert Dogs – 2 for 5 on the PP
Connor Farrell – Roughing – The Vegas player went right after Connor directly after the face-off, for no reason, and Farrell fought back. Both players went to the box – good call
Zack Belter – Illegal Crosscheck – Belter was playing physical on a Vegas player who was leaning into him. Belter accidentally got the stick up high and hit the player in the head – good call
Zack Belter – Roughing - I am not sure why this deserved a double minor, but Belter came off the bench and went after the player who hit Byrne hard, it’s what we like to see – good call
Nick Weiss – Unsportsmanlike Conduct – Nick tried to double dip on his taunt and the refs did not appreciate it. Nick was not happy about being held in a battle, pointed at the player after he won the battle, but then after putting his hand down he pointed once again and that’s when it was called – good call
Kiel Matisz - Slashing - This was hard to see on video, but I did see a very minor slash. If that was what was called it was quite weak. It may have been a make up call for the hit to Kirst the refs didn’t call – couldn't tell
4.5/5 – good calls
In a game where the score was quickly out of reach, the referees did not have too tough of a job. I thought they handled the game well and made the correct calls.
Game 2 vs Albany
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.
Doug Jamieson
Inside – 3
Mid-Range - 6
Outside – 1
Transition - 1
*1 goal was on the penalty kill
*0 empty net goals
Matt Vinc
Inside – 6
Mid-Range - 5
Outside – 0
Transition - 0
*1 of the goals was on the penalty kill
Goal 1 – Great shot off a loose ball after the face-off. Kurtz was able to shoot the ball through two defenders who were not set yet
Goal 2 – Unfortunate rebound off a blocked shot by Belter was scooped by Kurtz and buried in tight
Goal 3 – The team was caught sleeping on a delayed penalty quick reset by Albany that allowed Peshko to receive a pass right on the doorstep and score (D)
Goal 4 – The defense looked a bit out of sorts on this play and Simmons made them pay (D)
Goal 5 – An incredible play by Simmons and Peshko to get inside and score a great goal
Goal 6 – A nice pick by Peshko gives Simmons just enough room to have a great shot to the bottom corner
Goal 7 – Weiss blocked a pass by Walker. Walker scooped up the loose ball and went right to the net and scored on a nice crease dive, another unfortunate bounce
Goal 8 – PP goal – A heavy quick shot from the top of the power play, Vinc couldn’t get to the spot quick enough
Goal 9 – Martin did a nice job on Walker not allowing him to get inside and staying on his stick, but Vinc could not make the save (V)
Goal 10 – An incredible individual effort from Williams on a near impossible bounce shot that just sneaks past Vinc
Goal 11 – Another incredible play by Williams on a last second behind the back shot to end the game
1/11 on Vinc
2/11 on the defense
Challenges by the Bandits – None
The Bandits did attempt to challenge an early goal by the Firewolves, but they did not throw the flag in time. I went back and reviewed the goal, and I think it would have stayed as a goal. The shooters foot was very close to being in the crease, but I am not sure that it was.
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 for 4 on the PP
Firewolves – 1 for 4 on the PP
Josh Byrne – Holding – Byrne attacks Simmons on an outlet pass. Simmons crumbles a bit easy, but it was a tackle – good call
Ron John – Illegal Cross Checking – This was a weak call sold by the Albany player, especially given where the referee was standing in relation to the play – bad call
Dhane Smith – Illegal Substitution - Dhane was out of the box early. Simply no reason to push a shorthanded transition opportunity – good call
Nick Weiss – Holding - Weiss clearly grabs Jackson’s jersey, not smart while on the power play. Another poor decision by a veteran in a special team's situation – good call
3/4 – good calls
The referees were only okay in this game. Honestly, I thought the Bandits got away with a few calls and some of the calls against Albany were a bit weak. Even though it seemed to go in the Bandits favor, the refs were a bit inconsistent for my liking.