The Buffalo Bandits Squeak by the Toronto Rock
The Buffalo Bandits defeated the Toronto Rock by a score of 15-13 in another classic game between these two bitter rivals. The Rock came into this game without a win starting the season 0-4. Toronto was as desperate as desperate can get and they played like it. In a game with 10 ties and 11 lead changes, it was the Bandits who finished with the last lead change to take the win.
The Bandits offense played great. Dhane Smith once again led the team with 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points. Ian MacKay had his second 5-goal performance of the season, while adding 3 assists, 9 loose balls, and 3 caused turnovers. The Bandits had the entire offense pitch in in one way or another. The only goal, of the 15 scored, that was not scored by the offense, was Nick Weiss’s game winning goal. Josh Byrne scored his first hat trick of the season and added 4 assists for 7 points. The defense and Vinc did not play a great game. The offense did everything they needed to to keep the game within reach while the defense figured things out. The defense returned the favor, but we’ll get to that. The biggest concern with the offense is the sloppy play at times. Between passes that are off, shots going wide, and play that is sometimes too selfless, the offense could be better. An offense that hasn’t scored less than 13 goals this season, could be better, that is great news for Buffalo.
The defense struggled greatly to start the game. They played soft, they played off the ball, and they switched too slow. Nothing was going well for the defense in the first half. The Toronto Rock were without Tom Schreiber and Mark Matthews, arguably their two best offensive players. However, Challen Rogers did return to the Toronto line up. In the first half, Rogers had 1 goal and 5 assists. Of the 8 goals in the first half, Rogers had a part in 6 of them. It was tough for the Bandits to know the impact Rogers would have on the Toronto offense. In the second half, Rogers had only 1 assist. The adjustment was made by John Tavares, Steve Dietrich and the defense after they figured out who the offense was funneling through. The most impressive aspect of the defense in this game was their ability to lock it down when they needed to the most. The Bandits offense went 11 minutes and 39 seconds in the fourth quarter without a goal while the score went from 12-11 to 12-12 to 12-13. It was the Bandits defense that locked it down at the end of the game not allowing Toronto to score for the final 9 minutes and 29 seconds giving the offense the chance to tie the game and eventually win. Matt Vinc has had better games. I am not sure the last time he was held to only 24 saves in the game. The defense did not give him the same help he received in the first three games. However, just like the defense, Vinc made plenty of big saves in the fourth quarter to keep the game close. Both Vinc and the defense came up big when they were needed the most.
As far as miscellaneous notes for this game goes, there are a few things to note. The first is the special teams. The NLL website credited Toronto with going 3 for 8 on the power play and the Bandits going 2 for 5. The penalty kill did a great job. The score was 10-9 in favor of Toronto with 2 minutes left in the third quarter. The Bandits were called for multiple penalties that resulted in a 5 on 3 for Toronto. Not only did Buffalo kill off both penalties, but Toronto had no shots on goal during that time. Arguably the difference in the game was the two shorthanded goals the Bandits were able to score. It’s one thing to stop the other team from scoring on the power play, it’s another to win the battle and score a goal of your own. Between the power play and the shorthanded goals, Buffalo won the special teams battle 4 to 3. On this show, website, whatever you want to call it, we believe faceoffs only matter when they do. In this game, there were plenty of big faceoffs that took place. Connor Farrell finished the game going 22/31. There were several times between penalty kills, power plays, quarter breaks, half time, goal runs and end of game faceoffs where Farrell came up big. Sure, he lost the faceoffs after the 13th and 14th goals the Bandits scored, which one could argue were the most important. He also still does not appear to know what to do with the ball when he wins it cleanly. However, I think this was the game he was needed the most all season and he stepped up to the occasion.
The Buffalo Bandits are now 4-0 on the young season. This was the first game where there was something about the Bandits game to dissect. The blowout victories are still a good time, but a game like this has the intensity of a playoff game and gives us something to talk about. That being said, I hope next game goes right back to a big win with no fuss. This game was about as entertaining as an early season game can get, but I’m not sure my heart could take an entire season of this. It will be interesting to see if Toronto can right their ship in time to make playoffs. The Bandits see them one more time this season on Valentine’s Day, I am positive the love will be flowing.
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 – 6
Mid-Range - 4
Outside – 2
Transition -
*2 goals were on the penalty kill
*0 empty net goals
Troy Holowchuk
Inside – 2
Mid-Range -
Outside –
Transition -
*0 goals were on the penalty kill
*1 empty net goals
Matt Vinc
Inside – 7
Mid-Range – 6
Outside –
Transition -
*3 of the goals were on the penalty kill
(D-Defense, V-Vinc)
Goal 1 – Cameron was able to fight his way for an inside shot, great goal
Goal 2 – PP goal – defense was not able to interfere with Rogers shot. He was able to step in and fire a hard shot on Vinc
Goal 3 – Another uncontested shot high over Vinc shoulder
Goal 4 – Defense kind of gave up and an unconventional no look shovel shot snuck past Vinc
Goal 5 – Belter didn’t play strong enough on a Boushy spin move that got past Vinc in tight (D)
Goal 6 – PP goal – defense was a little out of sorts and allowed the Small to walk in and get an easy inside shot off
Goal 7 – Defense is out of sorts and again allows a free shot, nice shot by Small, but Vinc may also want this one back (D, V)
Goal 8 – Dawson burned badly on the play allowing the outside shot, Vinc screened in front (D)
Goal 9 – Good fight by Buchanan and Martin after a faceoff, it’s one Vinc has to have (V)
Goal 10 – No one on defense stepped to Boushy who fired a missile (D)
Goal 11 – PP goal – Wyers got burned right on the crease and Vinc was beat
Goal 12 – Crazy wraparound goal by Boushy – can the stick hit the goalie before the ball goes in? Technically no, but it is not often called.
Goal 13 – DeSnoo in transition, had defense all over him, it’s one Vinc needs to have (V)
3/13 on Vinc
4/13 on the defense
Challenges by the Bandits – None
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 – 2/5- on the PP
Toronto – 3/7- on the PP
Zach Belter – Dead Ball Foul – This is the classic case of second man in. Belter and I believe Sanders, were going at it a bit but Belter threw a cross check in retaliation, that was what the referee saw – good call
Nick Weiss – Delay of Game – Technically the referees called this penalty correctly. However, it was a bit quick of a whistle as Weiss was actively escaping a scrum and attempting to pass the ball. The referee directly in front of the play did not make the call, but the ref far away did – goodish call
Nick Weiss – Roughing - Weiss came to the defense of Josh Byrne and ended up with a roughing call because of it. You could tell he really wanted a piece of Hostrawser and after last year, it makes sense – good call
Josh Byrne – Holding – Kri had Byrne a bit wrapped up on the play. However, Byrne did do a good job holding Kri and dragging him down with him – good call
Chase Fraser – Body Checking – I am fine with this being a penalty. It is a play the league is trying to cut down on, but the refs did not call this consistently for both teams – good call
Cam Wyers – Roughing – This was an undisciplined play by Wyers. There may have been a bit of a dive by the Toronto player, but this will get called more often than not – good call
John Tavares – Bench Minor – Tavares was attempting to get an explanation from the refs as to what an illegal blind side hit is, but to no avail. It is hard to know what was said. Apparently, it was enough for a penalty – good call
Illegal Substitution – Technically this was the correct call. A 6th Bandits player had one foot in the bench and one foot on the turf. In my opinion, it did not need to be called and was a little ticky tacky. It had no effect on the play and if it was let go, no one would have noticed. While watching the replay, the broadcast team only counted 5 players. I had to rewatch the play many times to catch the one foot on the ground – technically the correct call, but I don’t agree with it – goodish call
7/8 – good calls
I thought the referees handled this game poorly. They lost control of the game early and did the wrong things to get it back under control. My biggest issue was the inconsistent calls between the Bandits and the Rock. If there is a call against one team, the same call should be made against the other team and that did not seem to be the case throughout the game.
Rule Explanations by Definition – here are many of the calls that were made throughout the game that I was questioning and the exact rule book definition of each.
Rule 52: BALL OUT OF SIGHT
Should a scramble take place or a player accidentally fall on the ball which becomes out of sight of the referee, the official shall immediately blow his whistle and stop the play. The ball is awarded to the team who wasn’t on the ball. If a player is withholding the ball, by lying on it, placing their foot on it or holding the ball and his stick to his body or in any other fashion to withhold the ball as deemed at the discretion of the official, the non-offending team shall receive possession. If a goalie is in his crease and falls on the ball, the ball will be awarded to the goalie.
58.7 LYING ON BALL OR TRAPPING BALL - A player may not lie on the loose ball, trap it with his stick longer than necessary for him to gain possession and pick it up in one continuous motion, or withhold the ball from play in any manner.
58.8 WITHOLDING THE BALL FROM PLAY - A player in possession of the ball who holds his stick against any part of his body is withholding the ball from play.
Explanation - These three rules all explain why withholding was called against the Bandits on multiple occasions. I don’t agree with every call that was made, but this is the rule by definition.
48.1 BACK-COURT VIOLATION - A loose ball or a player with possession of the ball comes in contact with the centerline of the field for any reason other than a shot on goal or the defensive team being the last to touch the ball, it shall be a back-court violation. If the offense was the last to touch prior to the ball going back-court without a reset of the shot clock, the referee shall hold the sounding of the whistle until it is apparent that the non-offending team will not gain possession. Possession shall be awarded to the non-offending team where the ball comes to rest with the exception of immediately in front of goal. Immediately in front of the goal is deemed approximately a 10 yard radius from the center point of the top of the goalie crease. The offensive team cannot intentionally direct the ball into the back-court for any reason regardless if they are considered to have possession or not. Should a goalie be pulled for an extra attacker when the ball travels across center and travels into the goal, this play is regarded as a good goal.
Explanation - This one had to do with Josh Byrne who had the ball in his stick as the ball crossed over the half line. I did not know that if a player is still on the offensive side of half and the ball is in their stick, the ball can go over half without being called for an over and back violation.
Rule 91: HELMET LOST DURING PLAY
- When a player loses his helmet, the player must immediately either re-assemble his helmet while in the game or leave the floor.
- When a player in possession of the ball loses his helmet, he must immediately release the ball by passing or shooting.
91.1 MINOR PENALTY - Failure to immediately re-assemble he helmet or leave the floor shall result in a minor penalty to the offending player.
Explanation – as explained earlier, the call against Weiss for a delay of game was technically the correct call. However, based on the definition and Weiss’s actions, I think it could have been let go.
Rule 70: ILLEGAL BODYCHECKING
It is illegal to bodycheck an opponent from behind, above the shoulders or below the waist. It is legal to bodycheck an opponent in possession of the ball from the front or side, above the waist and below the shoulder, and to bodycheck an opponent while the player leaves his feet to shoot, pass or catch the ball, or otherwise engage legally in offensive play provided contact is legal as outlined above and below, and there are no other violations and the check is not into the boards. Officials shall consider the positioning of players when contact is initiated, specifically whether the player being checked is in a vulnerable and/or defenseless position, which may include a player’s head being down or being unaware of an impending hit, and significant distance travelled by the player making the hit. An appropriate penalty for illegal body checking shall be assessed based on the severity of the illegal contact.
Explanation – this is where the blind side hits come into play. The hit Fraser had that was called an illegal body check was the correct call. However, the two hits on Weiss and Fraser, in my opinion, were also similar in nature and should have been called.
Rule 67: GOAL-CREASE VIOLATIONS
Any attacking player who violates the privileges of the goalie and/or crease area is subject to crease violations. For the purpose of crease violations, contact is on or inside the crease line. Incidental contact, at the discretion of the referee, by an attacker who is in the act of shooting on a goaltender and makes contact with his body or stick which in no way affects the ability of the goaltender to attempt to make a save or play the ball shall not result in a crease violation provided the ball enters the goal. If the ball does not enter the goal from the attacker shooting and contact is made within the crease between the goalie and the shooter, play will be blown down immediately and possession awarded to the non-offending team.
Explanation – I added this in for the goal by Boushy where his stick hit Vinc in the face before the ball crossed the line. According to the rule, it seems that a crease violation should have been called. However, these types of calls are often ignored, for some reason.
56.3 SPECIAL SUBSTITUTION PROCEDURE - From a team’s bench area, one player at a time may enter the game by waiting for the player he is replacing to have two feet within his team’s Substitution Area. The player may exit and enter at different doors or through the same door or over the boards. The player exiting the floor has the right of way and substitution must be imminent. The player exiting the floor must leave the floor and enter his team box area.
Explanation – this was the call for too many men on the field against the Bandits. The player who touched the field was the 6th man on and there was no other Bandits player in the orange substitution area that he was switching with, making it the correct call. I think it was a ridiculous call to make, but technically it was correct.