Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550/WBEN) - After sweeping their early road trip against Rochester and Ottawa, the Bandits raised their championship banner and got right to work against the Knighthawks in their 13-6 victory.
Dhane Smith got the night started no more than 30 seconds into the contest, as he let a shot go on a rope right through goaltender Riley Hutchcraft.
The Bandits remained poised after the exciting opening, with goaltender Matt Vinc shutting down all attempts from Rochester. Josh Byrne would get on the board for the first time in the contest with a blazing shot right through Hutchcraft into the net to take a 2-0 lead.
In a lower scoring game from last, the Bandits would take their 2-0 lead into the second quarter, showing out in their first home contest of the season.
The Bandits brought the same energy into the second quarter as they ripped off four consecutive goals within the first five minutes. Ian MacKay, Josh Byrne, Kyle Buchanan, and Tehoka Nanticoke extended the Bandits lead.
The scoring streak ended for Buffalo, as former Bandit Connor Fields obtained the first points of the night for Rochester. Little did the Bandits know that their lead would begin to shrink further as that goal was the catalyst for a scoring streak from Rochester. Ryan Smith would score and Fields would add another one to cut the Bandits' lead in half.
Before the half concluded, on a power play for Buffalo, Clay Scanlan was able to put one through the cross bar in Buffalo's favor. The Bandits led 7-3 going into halftime.
The second half got underway with action from both teams. The Knighthawks were on the board first with a goal from Curtis Knight to bring their deficit to within three points. Buffalo brought it back to a four goal lead within the next minute as MacKay found the twine once again.
After about five minutes with no scoring plays, the Bandits went on a roll to close out the third quarter. Fraser, Nanticoke, and Scanlan at the buzzer all found the net to extend the Bandits' lead even further. The score was 11-4 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was a back and forth affair with scores from both teams. There was nothing much that Rochester could do as the Bandits remained dominant on offense and defense. The game came to a close with the Bandits sealing victory in their third straight contest and second game against Rochester this season.
Up next, the Bandits are on a bye week as they head into the new year. The team gears up for Toronto coming into Banditland January 10th, with a 7:30pm faceoff. You can catch all of the action on the radio home of Bandits Lacrosse TheBET 1520.
Game Summary:
First Quarter:
1-0 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (14:38) - Dhane Smith (Assisted by Josh Byrne)
2-0 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (8:11) - Josh Byrne (Assisted by Dhane Smith, Clay Scanlan)
Second Quarter:
3-0 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (10:17) - Ian MacKay (Assisted by Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith)
4-0 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (10:02) - Josh Byrne (Assisted by Kyle Buchanan, Thomas Whitty)
5-0 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (8:49) - Kyle Buchanan (Assisted by Dhane Smith and Nick Weiss)
6-0 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (8:27) - Tehoka Nanticoke (Assisted by Dhane Smith)
6-1 BUFFALO: Knighthawks Goal (7:52) - Connor Fields (Assisted by Ryan Smith and Curtis Knight)
6-2 BUFFALO: Knighthawks Goal (4:36) - Ryan Smith (Assisted by Thomas McConvey, Ryan Lanchbury)
6-3 BUFFALO: Knighthawks Goal (2:19) - Connor Fields (Assisted by Ryan Smith, Ryan Lanchbury)
7-3 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (1:46) - Clay Scanlan (Assisted by Dhane Smith, Josh Byrne)
Third Quarter:
7-4 BUFFALO: Knighthawks Goal (13:54) - Curtis Knight (Assisted by Kyle Waters, Connor Fields)
8-4 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (12:42) - Ian MacKay (Assisted by Josh Byrne and Kyle Buchanan)
9-4 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (7:56) - Chase Fraser (Assisted by Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne)
10-4 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (5:12) - Tehoka Nanticoke (Assisted by Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne)
11-4 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (0:01) - Clay Scanlan (Assisted by Kyle Buchanan and Josh Byrne)
Fourth Quarter:
11-5 BUFFALO: Knighthawks Goal (7:45) - Thomas McConvey (Assisted by Ryan Lanchbury and Connor Fields)
12-5 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (6:15) - Dhane Smith (Assisted by Josh Byrne)
13-5 BUFFALO: Bandits Goal (2:31) - Tehoka Nanticoke (Assisted by Josh Byrne)
13-6 BUFFALO: Knighthawks Goal (14:12) - Curtis Knight (Assisted by Connor Fields and Ryan Lanchbury)