Buffalo Bandits Play Complete Game Against the Calgary Roughnecks

The Buffalo Bandits put together arguably their most complete game of the season and it could not have come at a better time. The Bandits defeated the Calgary Roughnecks 14-7 in their second last game of the season. The Roughnecks needed to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Bandits were looking to punch their own ticket into the playoffs while also trying to fine tune their game. It is easy to say the Bandits played a complete game when they scored fourteen goals and only allowed seven, but that doesn’t always mean they looked good doing it. 

The Buffalo Bandits offense looked as elite as it possibly could against the former goaltender of the year and MVP Christian Del Bianco. They were able to score a quick shorthanded goal that set the tone for the game. It would take them over 10 minutes to score another, but they quickly rattled off three straight before the first quarter ended. The passing was among the best I have seen all year. The variety of ways they were able to score was also impressive. They scored on a few great outside shots, off some great passing and had some highlight reel goals from Chase Fraser (4g, 0a). I often find myself a little upset with how often Fraser likes to call his own number and attempt wild shot opportunities. However, he continues to prove me wrong with games like this. This was the first time since week nine that Fraser scored four times. He was able to heat up right before and during the playoffs last year, hopefully it will happen again this year. Speaking of secondary scoring, Dhane Smith (1g, 6a) and Josh Byrne (2g, 5a) combined for only three of the fourteen goals the Bandits scored. They each had plenty of influence on the offense, but it was nice to see other players stepping up and the Bandits using a more balanced offensive approach.  

The defense played arguably its best game of the year backstopped by a vintage Matt Vinc (43sv) performance. The defense has been playing better and better these last few games and the health of the defense has come with it. Paul Dawson (4lb, 2blk) is doing a great job settling the defense down, especially the rookies. Zach Belter (3lb, 1a) and Cam Wyers (2lb, 4blk) are clearly benefiting from having a veteran like Dawson on defense, who is using his communication and knowledge to teach the young players. I thought this was one of Wyers best performances of his young career. He has looked like a different player in these last two games. One play that stands out the most was on the penalty kill. Wyers had a player running at him and instead of making himself big and screening Vinc, as he has done in previous games, he made himself into a pencil and slowly walked backwards towards the net. Vinc made the save as he had less net to deal with, but could also see the shot coming in. The Bandits also out blocked the Roughnecks 14 to 4, willing to put their bodies on the line for the team. Vinc, like the defense, has looked better over the last few games and played his best game of the season. I don’t think he has had a bad season. I do think, with him not playing summer lacrosse this season and his injury, it has taken him longer to settle in this season. For the most part, he has made most of the saves that one expects him to make. In this game, he made Vinc like incredible saves multiple times. That is what has been missing from this season. Vinc seems to have found his big save touch at the right time.  

The special teams' units both had great performances in this game. The power play scored on 2-of-3 of their opportunities, while the penalty kill only allowed 2-of-5 chances to be scored against them. Last week, the penalty kill allowed Colorado to score on 4 of their 6 opportunities. This was a nice rebound for the penalty kill. Not only did they do a nice job blocking shots, but they also had a shorthanded goal to start the game. They have performed well throughout the year, but it was nice to see them have a great showing in this game.  

I am trying not to get overly excited by what I have seen from this team, but they have won three in a row and five of their last six games. This was the best performance they have had all year and I believe the healthiest this team has been as well. The defense played well as a unit, the secondary scoring was on fire and Vinc was a stone wall. If this is how the team is going to play next week and headed into the playoffs, they will be tough to beat.  

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.           

Christian Del Bianco 

Inside – 6 

Mid-Range - 4 

Outside – 4 

*2 of the goals were on the penalty kill       

Matt Vinc            

Inside – 2 

Mid-Range - 3 

Outside – 2 

*2 of the goals waere on the penalty kill         

1st goal – PP Goal - on the penalty kill, the Bandits defense was slow to get on the field and allowed an in tight behind the back shot 

2nd goal – A great play from behind the net to a quick shot out front, defense was in decent position but Weiss let his man go who ended up scoring 

3rd goal – Decent pick set by the offense and a slow switch off allowed a good shot through the legs of Vinc 

4th goal – Good outside shot but the defense did not get hands to the shooter  

5th goal – Another slowish switch by the defense on a pick and a great shot, good offensive play 

6th goal – PP Goal – Shot through the screen of Priolo who was not able to get the block 

7th goal – Interesting jump shot that I dont think the defense or Vinc were ready for, great shot 

1/7 on Vinc       

2/7 on the defense     

Challenges by the Bandits – 1/1 

The Bandits challenged what would have been Calgary's 8th goal of the game. The shot by Calgary did not go in cleanly and by the time it did the shooter was in the crease. Good call reversal by the referees. 

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 – 2/3 on the PP          

Calgary – 2/5 on the PP          

Connor Farrell – Boarding – Farrell came out of the gates a bit too fast and landed himself a big hit too close to the boards. It does seem like there has been a bit of an emphasis on trying to remove these kinds of hits from the game – good call 

Paul Dawson – Roughing – I know Paul tried to play it off like it was an accident, but I think he knew exactly what he was doing as he launched Zach Currier into the bench – good call 

Dylan Robinson – Dead Ball Foul – This foul initially started when Josh Currier shoved Dylan after a breakaway opportunity by Dylan. There was a whistle and Dylan had some words for Josh. After the two went back and forth, Dylan ended up earning the Bandits a power play opportunity – good call 

Not Sure – Illegal Substitution – This play happened well off camera. I am not sure who left the bench early – good call  

Zach Belter – Holding – This was a rough call. King had one of the best acting performances I have seen all year. Belter seems to be the victim of tough calls against him – bad call 

Cam Wyers – Holding – Wyers lost his man just a bit and did have a bit of a hold. This call seemed a bit ticky tacky but it was a hold – good call 

5/6 – good calls      

I thought the referees did a nice job in this game. The call against Belter was bad but outside of that they were able to keep the teams under control. There was only one call in the entire second half.