Buffalo Bandits...Never a Doubt
The Buffalo Bandits defeated the San Diego Seals in overtime 9 to 8. I never doubted that the Bandits would win this game. That is a lie. The Bandits were down 7 to 3 headed into the fourth quarter. They would score their first even strength goal with just over 9 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, making the score 7 to 4. The Seals would respond under two minutes later, pulling further ahead 8 to 4. That is about when I gave up hope. I continued watching the game, but I did not expect much. Up to that point, the Bandits had not played a good game. Well, the Bandits found a way to do the seemingly impossible scoring four goals in the final 5:25 of the game. In overtime, Dhane Smith (3g, 3a) played hero scoring just under four minutes into the frame to send Buffalo home with the much-needed win.
The offense looked rough for the first 50 minutes of the game. Christopher Origlieri (41sv, 82%) played an incredible game holding the Buffalo offense at bay. Part of the issue with the offense was seeing a hot goaltender once again. It is not an excuse, but it is easy to get away from your game plan when a goalie is dialed in. The offense ends up trying to pinpoint shots that go wide or create extra passes to get that perfect look causing turnovers. The Bandits struggled to get inside against the Seals until late in the fourth quarter. Origlieri allowed zero outside goals. Finding a way inside was going to be the key to beating him. Three of the Bandits final five goals were from inside looks. The other two were by Dhane, and they were close but a bit further out than the others. It may have taken most of the game, but the Bandits were finally able to find ways to get inside, and it paid off. Ian MacKay (0g, 1a) looked rusty in his return from injury, which was to be expected. Joe Resetarits still looks like he is trying to figure out how he fits into the offense. I believe he will be able to get there, but it is taking a bit longer than expected for a player of his caliber. Hopefully he can find some rhythm in his third game with the team, although it may not be easy against a Saskatchewan Rush defense. Josh Byrne (1g, 6a) now has at least 7 points in each of his last four games. As great as that is, in two of those games he had only one goal. As the main offensive threat on the left side, especially with MacKay out or not one hundred percent, he and the Bandits need to find a way to get him more scoring opportunities. The lefties for the Bandits accounted for just two of the nine goals. If teams are able to focus their attention on the right side, it will hinder the offense moving forward. I think if MacKay can get back to full strength, it will be a massive step towards balancing the offense once again.
The defense played a quietly solid game. San Diego hasn’t been known to have a great offense this season. However, they have had multiple games with 11 or more goals. Wesley Berg (2g, 2a) and Zach Currier (2g, 1a) were held to four goals. It was Ben McIntosh (3g, 1a) doing most of the damage with his 4th hattrick of the season. The defensive lineup rotation continued as Nick Weiss was out injured, Taylor Dooley was sent to the practice squad, Mike McCannell and Tyler Hendrucks were the healthy scratches and finally Carter Coffey was given his second career NLL start. It seemed as if the Bandits didn’t trust him as much as maybe they wanted to as Dhane Smith was playing a lot of defense in this game. When the entire team is healthy, I am not sure what the ideal lineup looks for the Bandits, but we do know they have plenty of options to choose from. Mitch de Snoo had one of his best statistical games of the season, yet one of his worst decision-making games of the year. He finished the game with a team high five turnovers, two shots on goal and a few others that were wide of the net. De Snoo is known for being a bit of a loose cannon, and it has shown in the last few games. He often takes wild shots at the net in transition instead of allowing the offense to get on the field and set up an established possession. Now, the team is clearly much better when he is on the field, and he is still an elite defender. However, it would be nice to see the Bandits force him to play one game with no shots on goal to try to reign him in just a bit.
We talked on the show about how special teams may play a role in this game, and it was absolutely a major factor. The Bandits finished the game scoring three goals on seven opportunities. That is about one goal under their season average power play percentage, but the only goals Buffalo scored through the first three quarters of the game were on the man advantage. Those goals played a critical role in keeping the score close until the offense figured things out in the fourth quarter. On the flip side, the penalty kill held the Seals to one goal on four chances. Buffalo came out plus two in the special teams' battle, and it made all the difference.
The Bandits were able to escape with a massive victory in San Diego. If the Bandits had dropped this game, it wasn’t going to be the end of the world, but the road to the playoffs would have been much more complicated. Now, the Bandits' fate is firmly in their hands. The rest of the league, outside of the Ottawa Black Bears, did the Bandits no favors in the standings this past weekend. Winning this game not only distances themselves a bit from the bottom of the playoff bracket but also keeps them in the running for the ever-important home playoff game. The schedule doesn’t get any easier as the Bandits match up against the top two teams in the league in the next two weeks.
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.
Christopher Origlieri
Inside – 5
Mid-Range - 4
Outside – 0
Transition - 0
*3 goals were on the penalty kill
*0 empty net goals
Matt Vinc
Inside – 3
Mid-Range - 3
Outside – 2
Transition - 1
*1 of the goals were on the penalty kill
Goal 1 – A quick outside shot from McIntosh off the bench, possibly one Vinc wants back from that distance
Goal 2 – PP Goal – Great set up leads to a diving goal from behind the net by McIntosh
Goal 3 – Berg gets open in the middle of the field after a pick. De Snoo and Priolo attempt to block the shot but miss, I believe screening Vinc
Goal 4 – Robinson was a bit weak on the play, gets picked, and Berg finds himself open in front of the net and gets it past Vinc
Goal 5 – Transition – Buffalo gets caught on a change as Steenhuis gets a breakaway and buries it
Goal 6 – Whitty and Smith get caught up on a switch allowing Currier to step into a hard shot and find his spot
Goal 7 – Priolo does not attack Currier who rips a hard shot, Vinc gets most of it but not all of it (V,D)
Goal 8 – De Snoo and the defense caught running around and McIntosh shoots it low and under the kick save of Vinc (D). This goal also came just after Vinc went down with an injury before the TV timeout.
1/8 on Vinc
2/8 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 – 3-7 on the PP
Seals – 1-4 on the PP
Illegal Substitution – I. MacKay – MacKay leaves the bench before Dawson can get to the bench – good call
S. Priolo – Dead Ball Foul – There was nothing overly aggressive on this play to warrant a call – bad call
S. Priolo – Slashing – This was a bad call sold well by the San Diego player. Priolo got the player in the shoulder, but from the viewpoint of the referee and the San Diego player’s ability to sell it, it looked like he got hit in the head – bad call
T. Nanticoke – Delay of Game – This is the problem I have with inconsistent whistles. The San Diego player begins sprinting away with the ball as Nanticoke catches him from behind and frees the ball loose. He gets called with a delay of game penalty for not allowing the player time to reset. I don’t think it’s the wrong call, but I don’t think players should be getting running starts on a reset – good call
2/4 – good calls
The referees were calling an extremely tight game in the first half, and it was tough to watch. Even when most of the calls were going the Bandits way, it was frustrating seeing the play stopped so frequently. In the second half, there was only one power play opportunity between both teams. I think what I considered bad calls against the Bandits, was the referees calling a tight game that we are not used to seeing. They had a better second half and, in the end, I didn’t mind their decisions. The biggest issue they had was calling a major penalty against Thomas Whitty for kneeing. After further review they reduced the penalty to nothing. That is the exact reason these reviews now exist, but the phantom call was a bit strange. I have the rule definition below.
Rule 83: KNEEING
- Kneeing is the act of a player leading with his knee and/or lower leg to make contact with his opponent.
83.1 MINOR PENALTY - The referee, at his discretion, may assess a minor penalty, based on the severity of the infraction to a player guilty of kneeing an opponent.
83.2 MAJOR PENALTY - The referee, at his discretion, may assess a major penalty, based on the severity of the infraction to a player guilty of kneeing an opponent.