Bandits peak at the right time

By Budd Bailey

Some of the Buffalo Bandits are feeling a little sentimental these days.

Yes, the team is preparing for the playoffs. It won its seventh straight game on Saturday night, a 12-6 triumph over the Rochester Knighthawks before 19,070 at the KeyBank Center. The Bandits will be playing someone in the postseason in two weeks, but they don’t know where and they don’t know when.

But they do know that this core group of players, who has won three straight titles together and has hopes of a fourth later in 2026, probably will lose some pieces after this season. Some of the veterans may retire, and others will move along because of the typical roster turnover in professional sports.

That means the days they will be together are dwindling. It’s even possible that Saturday night’s game could turn out to be the team’s last home contest as a unit. That makes the climax of the season somewhat bittersweet for the veterans, who have piled up some great memories together in recent years.

“When I came in tonight, I wondered when the last time I was going to be playing in front of Banditland,” Buchanan said. “You want to take advantage of those things. But then it’s gone. What do you do with that information? You want to put out the effort and do the small things. That’s the way I try to savor it. Having fans and friends here, it’s not hard to get up for it. It’s certainly pretty special. I think when you win, you not only get closer, but you spend a lot of time together. … You build bonds that last a lifetime.”

“When you don’t know the future, you want to soak up those memories,” goalie Matt Vinc said. “I’ve got a lot of friends and family here, and playing here – it’s a special place. Having the opportunity to go out with a great group of guys, you don’t take it for granted. Your career goes by pretty fast. We’re fortunate to have a special group here. Hopefully we can keep things going.”

The good news for them is that they realize they have a chance at making indoor lacrosse history this season. No team has ever won four titles in a row, and now no team is playing better than the Bandits (11-6). They played like a well-oiled machine in dismantling the Knighthawks, in winning their 11^th game for the sixth straight season.

“When everyone is on the same page, flying around and having fun, we’re tough,” Josh Byrne said.

Consider the statistic of the night. Buffalo now has given up a total of 18 goals over the last three games. That’s a record for the franchise’s history, going all the way back to 1992. The old mark was 20, set three different times.

“One name comes to mind, and that’s Matt Vinc,” coach John Tavares said about the run of defensive success. “He’s dialed in. He’s seeing the ball well, and he’s getting some help defensively. We’ve got five guys on the floor, and they’re not chasing back. They’re tough to beat five-on-five. They played a full 60 minutes tonight.”

This win followed the game plan thoroughly. The Bandits got the jump on Rochester right from the start, scoring the first two goals and taking a 5-1 lead after 16 minutes. Buchanan had two goals, while top scorers Byrne and Dhane Smith added one each. The lead stayed at four goals (7-3) through the half, and Buffalo seemed to be in control of the game.

“We wanted to play a five-on-five game,” Tavares said. “We didn’t want to get into run-and-gun. That was the plan. Our offense and defense have been playing well. The offense took fewer chances and got off the floor, and let the defense play."

The Bandits started the second half by scoring a pair of goals, and then seem to take the air out of the game. The Knighthawks never could generate any sort of momentum. In particular, Buffalo did a great job of defending two of Rochester’s top scorers, Connor Fields and Ryan Smith. They combined for one goal in the game.

“That’s a testament to our defense and our goaltender,” Tavares said. “Taylor (Dooley) did a great job on Connor, annoying him and not letting his hands get free to step down and have the time and space to get a shot off.”

From there it was just a matter of running out the clock. Smith eventually scored his second goal of the night, which brought his career total to 448. That number tied him for second in team history with Mark Steenhuis. Only Tavares is ahead of him. Smith and Byrne both finished with seven points. Buchanan reached 700 points for his career – not a bad number for someone who has been a role player for much of his career and not a major focal point of the offense.

“It’s cool,” Buchanan said. “If you had told me when I was 15 years old that a 5-8 kid from Ottawa was going to get 700 points and stick around as long as I have, I’d be surprised. It’s a tribute to playing with great people, having leaders around me, and finding ways to be part of good teams. It’s nice to celebrate.”

Meanwhile, Vinc stopped 43 of 49 shots for a save percentage of .878. His goals-against average for the season dropped to 9.72. He’s never had a GAA lower than 10.00 for a season since joining the Bandits in 2019.

“He says he’s 40-something, but I don’t think I believe him,” Byrne said. “Since he’s been here, he’s changed the entire makeup of our group. He’s the best ever.”

Everyone on the team realizes that the first round of the playoffs is a best-of-one matchup, and the team certainly would prefer playing that sudden-death game within the friendly confines of its Buffalo home. Therefore, the Bandits will try to win in Oshawa next weekend and wait to see how the standings shake out.

“You want to be feeling good and feeling we’re on a roll,” Vinc said. “But that can change pretty quickly. We’ll enjoy tonight, and get ready for the game in Oshawa to hopefully lock up a chance to play here.”

And along the way, they won’t forget to savor what looks like The Last Dance for a group that has made Buffalo sports history during an unprecedented run of success.

(Follow Budd on X.com via @WDX2BB)