Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The reigning three-time National Lacrosse League champions are in one of their worst slumps in years, now losers of four-straight games following a 13-11 defeat to the Philadelphia Wings on Saturday at KeyBank Center.
Buffalo failed to hold on to a late lead, as the Wings scored four times in the fourth quarter to rally and down the Bandits on home field.
Buffalo jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead when Dhane Smith, Kyle Buchanan and Clay Scanlan all scored within the first 4:40 of the opening quarter.
The lead was short lived, though, as Philadelphia answered midway through the quarter. Brennan O’Neill scored to get the Wings on the board, then Joe Resetarits added a shorthanded goal and Scott Dominey tied the game, all within a span of 3:20.
O’Neill scored again, this time on the power play with 2:40 left in the quarter to give the Wings their first lead, 4-3.
Then started the back-and-forth affair between the two clubs, as anytime the Bandits responded to tie the game, Philadelphia was quick to respond and re-gain the lead. Buffalo got goals from Ian MacKay, Tehoka Nanticoke and a late goal from captain Steve Priolo to tie the game at 6-6 heading into halftime.
As for the Wings, O’Neill completed his hat-trick at the 10:34 mark, and Michael Sowers gave Philadelphia another lead with 3:11 left in the half.
MacKay wasted little time giving the Bandits their first lead since the first quarter, scoring his second of the night to give Buffalo a 7-6 lead.
Philadelphia responded a little more than three minutes later with a goal from Kyle Jackson, and then Sowers followed that with another goal just 1:13 later to put the Wings back ahead, 8-7.
With the score now 9-8 in favor of the Wings, Dhane Smith scored with 17 seconds remaining in the third quarter to tie the game again at 9-9, keeping the Bandits in it heading into the fourth quarter.
Buffalo continued a run of goals with two more to start the fourth quarter, as MacKay completed his hat-trick with 7:44 left in regulation, followed by Lukas Nielsen extending the lead with his first goal of the season.
Despite snatching the momentum for a brief moment, Philadelphia spoiled the party with four-straight goals to close out the contest and secure just its second win of the season.
Goals from O’Neill again on the power play, Jackson and two more from Sowers capped off the scoring, as Buffalo was unable to contain a three-goal run from the Wings in just 1:40 of game clock.
The Bandits now find themselves in a tough spot, sitting at 3-5 on the season and falling to 12th overall in the NLL standings.
Buffalo is next back in action next Saturday, when they head to Halifax for a Valentine's Day matchup with the Thunderbirds. Faceoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.
