Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (WGR Sports Radio 550/WBEN) - With the chance to close out a third-straight NLL title on Sunday night in Saskatoon, the Buffalo Bandits failed to come out on the winning side of things in a 11-10 loss the Saskatchewan Rush at the SaskTel Centre.
This game shared a similar theme to Game 1 back in Buffalo right away, and it was the back-and-forth nature between both teams. Ultimately, though, Saskatchewan was able to come back and put this contest out of reach for the Bandits late in the fourth quarter.
Similar to Game 1, Game 2 did not get off to a great start for the Bandits. Saskatchewan went up big early with a three-goal run to go up 3-0 lead in the first 11:08 of the contest.
After Buffalo's defense stepped up on a successful penalty kill, forward Dhane Smith was able to get the scoring going for the Bandits, finding the net with just over three minutes left in the first quarter.
Buffalo’s defense held strong to start the second, with goalie Matt Vinc turning away everything Saskatchewan threw at him.
The offense matched that strong start to the second frame, as the Bandits were able to score a pair to tie the game at 3-3, courtesy of transition player Ian MacKay and Smith again. Those goals came just 45 seconds apart with a little more than four minutes gone into the quarter.
Saskatchewan finally got their power play going to get them back on top, 4-3. The Rush then restored a two-goal lead just 1:42 with a goal from Zach Manns.
However, the Bandits then went on a run of their own to claim their first lead of the game.
Clay Scanlan was able to get on the scoreboard a little over a minute after Saskatchewan's fifth goal to cut the deficit to one. Then it was MacKay tying the game with 4:16 left in the quarter, as he took the ball to the net and beat goalie Frank Scigliano through the five-hole.
Scanlan then gave the Bandits the lead, 6-5, with 1:56 to go off a beautiful passing play from Tehoka Nanticoke and Smith.
But just before the second quarter came to its end, Saskatchewan pulled even at 6-6 with a goal from transition player Jake Boudreau with just 0.9 seconds left on the clock.
The third quarter opened with some fireworks from Bandits forward Chase Fraser, who scored another stunning goal to give Buffalo a 7-6 lead. This goal came courtesy of a behind-the-back tally, slipping the ball through Scigliano’s legs.
The third quarter truly showed the back-and-forth nature of the game, as both the Bandits and Rush exchanged goals up until the end of the 15-minute frame. Buffalo was able to cling onto a 9-8 lead heading into the final quarter of action.
The fourth quarter took a turn for the worse for Buffalo, though, as Saskatchewan went on a three-goal-run to put the Bandits behind by a pair with a little over three minutes to go in regulation.
Bandits forward Kyle Buchanan was able to pull Buffalo to within one with just 1:05 left on the clock, but a last-ditch effort was not enough in the end. The Bandits failed to take advantage of their chance to win the NLL Finals on the road, losing 11-10.
The series now comes down to a winner-takes-all Game 3 back in Buffalo on Saturday at KeyBank Center. Faceoff downtown is slated for 4:30 p.m., with complete coverage of the game being available on WGR Sports Radio 550.