BUFFALO, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Bandits were looking to get back in the win column, sitting at a record of 4-6 on the season, they needed a victory against the Saskatchewan Rush. The game saw the Bandits trying to maintain their lead, which they did up until the very end. They were able to claim victory in overtime in a rematch of last year's NLL final.
Just 47 seconds into the contest, Josh Byrne slipped a pass to Tehoka Nanticoke just outside the crease, and finished the job. Buffalo had an early a 1-0 lead.
One minute later, the Bandits struck again. On the power play, Ian MacKay scored his 16th goal of the season to make it 2-0, sending an early message to the Rush.
Kyle Buchanan added to the surge later in the first quarter, stretching the lead to 3-0. It looked easy early for the Bandits, too easy.
Saskatchewan answered with 5:30 left in the opening quarter when Josh Zawada got the Rush on the board. But the momentum swing was short-lived. Clay Scanlan responded, leaping across the crease and finding twine to restore a three-goal cushion at 4-1.
The Rush refused to go quietly, cutting it to 4-2 with under three minutes left in the first but Buchanan made sure it didn’t spiral too far. He scored his second of the game before the quarter ended, giving Buffalo a 5-2 lead after one.
MacKay picked up where he left off to open the second quarter, scoring his second of the night with 12:07 remaining to push the lead to 6-2.
Again, Saskatchewan responded. Ryan Keenan answered less than a minute later, and Zach Manns capitalized almost immediately on a power play, pulling the Rush within 6-4 with 10:32 left in the half.
Every time the Rush inched closer, Buffalo had an answer.
Nanticoke worked his way around the crease for his second goal of the game to make it 7-4. Then MacKay capped his hat trick with 4:30 left in the second quarter, extending the lead to 8-4.
The final minutes of the half were scoreless, and the Bandits headed to the locker room up by four.
The third quarter opened with Saskatchewan flipping the momentum. Robert Church found twine just over a minute in to cut the deficit to 8-5. Moments later, Ryan Keenan struck again for the Rush, trimming the lead to 8-6 with 13:05 left in the third.
The comfortable edge Buffalo once had was suddenly fragile.
Ian MacKay settled things once again. Battling through a rough start to the quarter, he scored his fourth goal of the night with 10:27 remaining to push the lead to 9-6.
But the Rush wouldn’t fade. Austin Shanks answered to make it 9-7, keeping the pressure squarely on the Bandits.
With two minutes left in the third, Steve Priolo responded in a big moment, scoring to give Buffalo a 10-7 lead and three goal cushion. Nanticoke appeared to add another late in the frame, but the goal was waved off, and the Bandits carried a three-goal lead into the final quarter.
The fourth opened much like the third, with Saskatchewan striking first. Keenan completed his hat trick at 12:19, cutting the margin to 10-8.
What followed was a tense, defensive stretch. Chances came and went for both sides, but the scoreboard stayed frozen until the final minutes.
With 1:30 remaining, the Rush broke through to pull within one at 10-9. Then Saskatchewan found the equalizer with 55 seconds left, erasing Buffalo’s lead and forcing overtime at 10-10.
Overtime was a back-and-forth as well, with neither team being able to ice the game. It all came down to one final play with just about 10 minutes to go in overtime for the Bandits.
Byrne, who assisted on the game’s first goal, ended it. The Bandits forward found space and buried the winner, sealing an 11-10 victory.
The Bandits don't have long to savor the win in the championship rematch. They’re back in action Saturday night on the road against the Toronto Rock for a quick turnaround.
