The Bandits Fall Again
The Buffalo Bandits went to the west coast and dropped a rough game against the Vancouver Warriors 12-13. It was not necessarily a must win game, but it was close. The Bandits have now lost three straight games and continue to fall in the standings. They have yet to put together a complete game since early in the season. The back-up goalies were serviceable enough for the Bandits to win. The team is simply not performing as well as they can. It needs to change and quickly or they will be golfing early this spring.
The offense looks lost. I am not sure what is going on with them. They did finish the game with 12 goals against a decent defense. Josh Byrne (5g, 3a, 12sog) and Chris Cloutier (2g, 2a, 8sog) led the left side of the offense while the right side was a balanced attack with every forward getting at least one goal. All that sounds great, so why the complaint? The offense can still be better. They settle for outside shots too easily and too early in the shot clock. I understand whipping a hard outside shot on net with under eight seconds left in the shot clock. However, the number of times the offense took an outside shot with plenty of time left on the shot clock was confusing. The Bandits finished with nine goals from in close, one goal from mid-range and two goals from outside. Aden Walsh (39 saves) did play a decent game but was mainly effective at stopping shots from the outside. When the Bandits found the ability to get in tight, he did not have an answer, yet the Bandits continued to settle for outside shots. Dhane Smith (1g, 5a, 7sog) had an opportunity late in the game when he took the ball from defense to offense. He was out of gas and pulled up on the fast break chance, which was the correct decision. Then, he decided to fire a shot at Walsh from outside, right into his chest, while the offense was still getting on the floor. It is simple plays like this that are below the talent of this offense, they need to be better. Chase Fraser (1g, 0a) has also been on a bit of a cold spell. After scoring at least five points in three straight games he has been held to two or less points in three straight games.
The defense played another good game. They were missing Matt Spanger and Justin Robinson to injury with Dalton Sulver being a healthy scratch. They replaced them with Zach Belter (4lb, 1cto), Frank Brown (7lb, 1cto), and Carter McKenzie (1lb, 0cto). I thought Zach Belter looked good again. If he can continue to grow, he will be a big part of this defense for years to come. He will need to learn what he can and cannot get away with but that will come over time. The goals that were allowed by the Bandits were mainly from the outside or mid-range shots. To me, not always, but often outside goals and some mid-range goals are more on the goalie than on the defense. The defense can make outside shots more difficult for the opposing offense by not allowing time and space for that player to make a great shot, but it is up to the goalie to save shots from distance. The other interesting thing about the defense in this game was the number of players that were double shifting. Ian MacKay (0g, 2a, 5sog, 5lb) and Dhane Smith were the two that stuck out to me the most. Both played a lot of time on offense and defense, which can be great but can also hurt their ability to be at their best on both sides of the ball.
The Bandits penalty kill was decent, and the power play was not good enough. The Bandits were finally able to score on a 5-on-3 opportunity. It happened when the Bandits used all five offensive players in their formation. Typically, the Bandits have used four players, and one has stayed around half field to account for stray shots. The Bandits went back to this formation on their second 5-on-3 opportunity and did not score. The forwards on this team are too talented to only score twice on six chances and once out of two 5-on-3 opportunities. The penalty kill allowed Vancouver to convert about 42 percent of their power play opportunities. That isn’t bad but it isn’t great either. However, one of the goals was on a 5-on-3 and all three goals came in the first quarter. After that, the penalty kill settled down and played great.
Devlin Shanahan (7gaa, 14sv) and Steve Orleman (6gaa, 30sv) both played well enough for the Bandits to win. Shanahan will not be remembered fondly for this performance. However, this is the second straight game that he has had to face a 5-on-3 opportunity almost immediately into the game. Of the twenty goals he has allowed in his only two starts, seven of them have been on the penalty kill. In this game, three of the seven he allowed were on the penalty kill. He has not been given the opportunity to play his best. With that being said, I thought Orleman did look like the better goalie in this game. After he came into the game and allowed two quick goals, he settled down and played great the rest of the game. The concern I have with Orleman is the number of outside goals he allowed. Of the six goals he let in, five of them were from the outside. The good thing is that outside shots are something that can likely be addressed with communication from the defense and a little more time in net. He performed very well against tight shots, controlling rebounds, and outlet passes. It will be interesting to see who the Bandits give the nod to in the next game, assuming Matt Vinc is not ready to return.
The Buffalo Bandits find themselves in uncharted territory. For the first time since 2018 (8-10), the Bandits have at least six losses and are under .500 with less than half the season remaining. They are currently still in a playoff position and have every opportunity to make the playoffs. At this point though, any shot at first or second place is likely gone. The Bandits need to put together a complete game effort, go on a win streak and try to finish in the top four. If the Bandits can guarantee themselves a home playoff game and head into the playoffs with some momentum, anything can happen. They need to start by getting back in the win column, hopefully on Friday night.
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.
Aden Walsh
Inside – 9
Mid-Range - 1
Outside – 2
*2 of the goals were on the penalty kill
Devlin Shanahan
Inside – 2
Mid-Range - 5
Outside – 0
*3 of the goals was on the penalty kill
Steve Orleman
Inside - 1
Mid-Range - 0
Outside – 5
*0 of the goals was on the penalty kill
1st goal – PP goal - 5v3 – Crowley picked the corner on an easy 5 on 3
2nd goal – PP goal – penalty kill allowed Vancouver to step down and take a great shot
3rd goal – Buffalo gave up a bad shorthanded goal breakaway on their own 5-on-3 powerplay
4th goal – PP goal – this one Shanahan should have had but Weiss made a poor decision on the offensive side to put the defense in a bad spot
5th goal – Pick and roll by the offense allowed an in tight shot and goal
6th goal – Defense does not pick up the shooter and Shanahan did not play it very well
7th goal – Defense allows another pick and roll and Crowley to get inside
8th goal – Outside shot by Ball, picked a corner
9th goal – Long outside shot, Orleman should have had it
10th goal – Scramble play leads to a nice goal by Vancouver
11th goal – Bad goal to allow by Orleman on a quick shot from the outside
12th goal – Defense allowed Crowley a free look from up top, but Orleman knows he should have had it
13th goal – Another outside goal, Orleman either is not seeing it or is not reacting well enough
2/13 on Shanahan
4/13
4/13 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 – 2/6 on the PP
Rochester – 3/7 on the PP
Zach Belter – Holding – This was not a great call. The Vancouver player was pushed into Belter. Belter essentially stepped out of the way and guided the Vancouver player to the ground. I can kind of see what the referee may have been looking at but this was not a penalty – bad call
Nick Weiss – Tripping – It did look like Weiss stuck his leg out to trip the player, I am not sure what he was thinking to do that – good call
Tehoka Nanticoke – Unsportsmanlike Conduct – I am not sure on this one. Nanticoke takes a hard check that takes him to the ground after he is called for a crease violation. Nanticoke wasn’t happy about it, and cross checks Grant in the arm to let him know that. Grant returns by punching Nanticoke in the head. Nanticoke is the only one to go to the box. Nanticoke was technically the second man in who often gets the call, but I am not sure why both players did not go, or neither – goodish call
Chase Fraser – Body Checking – This play was completely off the screen, so I am not sure about it. We’ll give it to the refs based on what the announcers said and the lack of a negative reaction from Fraser – good call
Tehoka Nanticoke – Roughing – Nanticoke did a nice job drawing a penalty after a hard shot brought him through the crease and into the goalie Walsh. When Nanticoke went to stand up, he continued to push into the goalie, but he took Walsh and Kalinich to the box with him giving the Bandits the power play – good call
Zach Belter – Cross Checking – I think Belter was upset that McCulley let the shot go well after the whistle and shot clock had expired. Belter shoved McCulley and it looked like he accidentally hit McCulley in the face. I do not think it was intentional, but he is lucky it was not a 5-minute major – good call
Cam Wyers – Holding – I don’t know. It seemed like another weak call. Wyers and Crowley were tied up and Crowley ended up falling with Wyers on top of him. From a referee standpoint I can see it being called but it also happens throughout the game and is not called – goodish call
Zach Belter – Slashing – This was not a good call. Belter gave the kind of slash that players give to each other hundreds of times throughout the game. The Vancouver player sold it well, but it was not a penalty – bad call
5/8 – good calls
The referees called an uncharacteristically tight game. Both teams ended up with six plus power play opportunities. A few of the calls against both teams are typically let go in the game of lacrosse. The good thing is that the referees were consistently calling penalties against both teams, the bad thing is that it was hard for the players to get in a rhythm with calls being made that are typically let go.