Buffalo Bandits Sweep the Vancouver Warriors
The Buffalo Bandits must have remembered where they kept their brooms from last year’s playoffs as they swept the Vancouver Warriors 2-0 in the series. Both games had a very different feel. The Bandits dominated game 1 with a convincing 9-3 victory. In game two, it was a different story as Buffalo was down 6-8 with 9:13 remaining in the third quarter. It would take a 4-goal run to secure the victory as the reigning champions once again find a way to win and get back to the finals for the 5th straight time.
We can’t discuss the offense without starting with the point leader of the weekend, Ian MacKay. He finished the series with a whopping 7 goals and 3 assists for 10 points. MacKay has been nothing short of a revelation since becoming a full-time forward for the Bandits. He was the only Bandit in round 1 against the Seals to score more than 1 goal. As talented and deep as the Buffalo offense is, they have needed every one of MacKay’s post-season goals. Josh Byrne (1g, 8a) and Dhane Smith (4g, 4a) had a good, not great series. They were heavily involved and did enough to help the Bandits get the series sweep. They were not as elite as we have seen them in past games or past postseasons, but they were still a big part of both wins. It was the depth scoring that was shining bright in both games. Tehoka Nanticoke (2g, 3a), Chris Cloutier (2g, 2a) and Chase Fraser (4g, 1a) stepped up when they were needed the most. Of the 8 goals they scored in the series, 5 came in the second half of game 2 as the Bandits were trying to fight back in a close game. The depth scoring, anyone outside of Dhane and Josh, accounted for 15 of the 20 goals in the series. Even though Dhane and Josh were not necessarily disappointing, it was the depth scoring that was key to both victories. The only real negative in the series for the offense was Kyle Buchanan. Now, that is not to say I think he played poorly or had a horrendous series. However, before the Georgia game at the end of the season, Buchanan had an 11-game goal streak including 7 goals in the last 3 games. Buchanan has been zeroed in on by defenses in the playoffs. It seems like teams are being very physical with him and have not allowed him any room with his classic pick and rolls. He has still been all over the floor with loose balls and had 4 assists to his name. He has been productive, just not the goal scoring machine we saw at the end of the season. It will be interesting to see if the Bandits can find a way to make him some room in the finals.
Matt Vinc. End of story. There are no words to describe how incredible he has been through the playoffs so far. In this series, Vinc saved 64 of 76 shots for an 82.4 save percentage and a 6 goals-against average. For the entire playoffs, Vinc has saved 112 of 128 shots for an 87.5 save percentage and a 5.33 goals-against average. That is crazy talk for any three-game stretch, but to do it in playoffs is even more impressive. At 42 years old, Vinc is playing the best lacrosse of his career. As for the defense, they have been arguably just as good. Coming into this series Vancouver had not scored less than 10 goals in any games since Christian Del Bianco came to town. In game one, the Bandits defense was as stingy as ever playing a hard press man system giving no room for Vancouver to move. In round 1 against the Rochester Knighthawks, Keegan Bal had 5 goals and 6 assists for 11 points. In both games against the Bandits, he finished with 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points. The way Buffalo was able to contain Vancouver’s number one offensive threat was the story of the series for the defense. In game 2, Vancouver did a good job countering what Buffalo did in game 1 and I thought they looked much better on offense. However, for the final 24 minutes Buffalo’s defense made their adjustments and held Vancouver to just one goal as they gave the offense the chance to finish the comeback.
The Bandits special teams were not talked about enough during this series. Headed into the playoffs the power play unit was scoring on 41% of the time. In this series, they went 6-for-10 (60%). In the final game of the series the Bandits won the game by 2 goals. They won the special teams battle 2 to 0. The penalty kill did allow Vancouver to go 3-for-5 in game 1, but those were the only three goals Vancouver scored. In game 2, the penalty kill went a perfect 2-for-2. As mentioned before, the Bandits went on to win that battle by 2 and the game by 2. Special teams could have been a game changer for Vancouver if the tables were turned. The Bandits power play is hitting its stride at just the right time. Something we all knew would take 20 games to get sorted out.
The Bandits have now won 9 straight playoff games dating all the way back to game three against the Colorado Mammoth in 2023. John Tavares is on his way to having more career playoff wins as a coach than any other coach in the history of the NLL. Dhane Smith is on his way to breaking the record for most points in the playoffs, currently held by Tavares. The Bandits are on their way to winning their third straight championship. As great as all that sounds, it’s not over yet. The Bandits are on to the finals where they look to make history in more ways than one. No matter who they face, it won’t be easy, but they know what it takes to win. Can they do it? Only time will tell.
Game 1
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 – 3
Mid-Range - 4
Outside – 2
Transition - 2
Squeakers - 3
*4 goals were on the penalty kill
*0 empty net goals
Matt Vinc
Inside – 2
Mid-Range - 1
Outside – 0
Transition - 0
*3 of the goals were on the penalty kill
Goal 1 – PP Goal – A blocked shot turns into a bit of a scramble drill leading to some nice passing and a goal by Crowley
Goal 2 – PP Goal – Great passing play by Vancouver, finished by a quick stick right on the crease
Goal 3 – PP Goal – Good seal by Crowley to give Bal the room he needed to finally hit the top corner over Vinc’s shoulder
0/3 on Vinc
0/3 on the defense
Challenges by the Bandits – None
Official Challenge – The officials had conflicting calls on Nanticoke’s dive from behind the net and automatically reviewed the call. If you watch the ball inside of the stick you can see that the ball does not reach above the goal line before the ball is released. As for the net being moved, that does not necessarily affect the play. The referees use the goal line to judge the call, not where the net is. It was very close, but I think it was the correct call.
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 – 4-7 on the PP
Warriors – 3-5 on the PP
Z. Belter – Illegal Cross Checking – Belter went to check the player he was matched up with and he got up too high on the check – good call
T. Whitty – Holding Stick – This was tough to see on the video. The best I can figure, when Whitty gets checked by the Vancouver player, he grabs his stick, throws it, and then runs back on defense. It all happens very quickly, but I don’t think a player in control of his own stick would somehow launch it to midfield – good call
C. Wyers – Boarding – After this call was reviewed it was reduced to a 2-minute minor. I don’t think it deserved a penalty at all – bad call
P. Dawson – Illegal Cross Checking – Dawson gets his stick check up high on Bal, simply can’t do it – good call
C. Farrell – Illegal Cross Checking – I thought this was a weak call. There is a dog pile for a loose ball and Farrell doesn’t do anything more than anyone else is doing, especially when the call is made – bad call
5-Minute Major Reviews
Grant vs MacKay – This call was upheld as a major penalty, and I agree with that call. Even though MacKay is looking down, it appears that MacKay’s head is the first point of contact by Grant and that is exactly what the league is trying to remove from the game. Yes, the stick only hits the bottom of Ian’s helmet and was not a hit square to the face, but the contact is still helmet first.
Wyers vs Bal – I thought this was a bad call. When a major is called, the call can be upheld, reduced to a 2-minute minor, or erased all together. I am not sure if a penalty has ever been completely taken off the board, but if there was ever a call that may have deserved it, it was this one. Wyers hits Bal from the side, into the boards, making no contact with his head. Bal has time to brace himself into the boards, where his body hits first and then his head. The call was reduced to a 2-minute minor, which at the minimum is the correct call. In the defense of the refs, Bal does a great job selling the hit.
2/4 – good calls
I’ll take a couple of bad calls if the referees are going to allow the players to play for the most part. This game was a bit strange with both teams throwing a lot of hits to the head. I didn’t love the calls against Farrell or Wyers, but again, I’ll take that if other physical play is going to be let go.
Game 2
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 – 4
Mid-Range - 3
Outside – 4
Transition - 0
*2 goals were on the penalty kill
*0 empty net goals
Matt Vinc
Inside – 3
Mid-Range - 5
Outside – 1
Transition - 0
*0 of the goals were on the penalty kill
Goal 1 – Decent defense as the Bandits double Bal giving Crowley enough room to pick his shot as Martin was slow to get out to cover
Goal 2 – The defense was slow on this play allowing Lowen to get to the middle and beat Vinc five-hole (D)
Goal 3 – Great outside shot by Charalambides. Defense got stuck in a switch and looked like they screened Vinc from where the shot came from
Goal 4 – Bal makes a great play on Martin who has decent position and get his stick to hands but Bal was too strong and Priolo was a step too late
Goal 5 – A give and go as no one picks up Charalambides on his way to the net (D)
Goal 6 – Again the defense is slow to get out to Klarich who buries a goal over Vinc’s shoulder (D)
Goal 7 – A poor switch by the defense leaves Charalambides wide open in the middle of the floor as Vinc just misses the save (D)
Goal 8 – Martin leaves Bal with too much time and space and Bal buries it
Goal 9 – Heavy pick on Weiss sets up a nice pick and roll goal
0/9 on Vinc
4/9 on the defense
Challenges by the Bandits – None
Official Challenge – The officials had conflicting calls on Cloutier’s power play goal. The ball clearly crosses the goal line, but it bounced out so quickly that the officials called it opposite ways. The shot clock was also an issue, but because the shot hit Del Bianco’s glove it reset the shot clock before the ball entered the net. After the review, the officials made what I thought was the correct call of a good goal.
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
Warriors – 0-2 on the PP
T. Nanticoke – Goalie Interference – Nanticoke made no real effort to avoid hitting Del Bianco and Del Bianco was in a normal goaltending position – good call
C. Fraser – Roughing – This was a horrible call. Either take both players or take neither. Fraser shoves the Vancouver player after he gets shoved first. Neither shove deserved a penalty, not sure why the refs decided to call this one – bad call
T. Whitty – Holding - It’s a tight call but Whitty takes one hand off his stick and grabs the Vancouver player around the chest to slow him down – good call
2/3 – good calls
Overall, the referees did a nice job maintaining order while not getting too involved in the game. They made the necessary calls, minus the one against Fraser, and let the teams play outside of that. It was well called game. I also think it’s great that the referees are not scared to have a conflicted goal call. During the season it might slow the game down a bit too much, but in playoffs, it is nice to see the referees okay with disagreeing with each other. For the series, the referees for the most part did a nice job calling the big penalties but allowed the physical play to shine through without getting too involved. Consistency is the biggest key, but that style of refereeing is what we like to see.