Sometimes “going through the motions” can be used with negative connotations. Other times, you’re the Buffalo Bandits on Banner Night.

Buffalo Bandits 15 – Georgia Swarm 11

Celebrations or not, Georgia was going to come ready to play, and it was their longest tenured player, Shayne Jackson getting things started for the Swarm with a goal during the team’s first possession of the season. However, Dhane Smith got plenty of open space going over the top on a high screen to immediately tie the game at 1. After a loose ball push extended a Swarm possession minutes later, Jackson added his second of the night only 3:57 into the game. But from there, the Bandits took their first run of the season, with the “new” guys re-introducing themselves to the soldout opening night crowd. Following an over-and-back call against the Swarm, Mitch de Snoo picked up the ball off the quick reset and scored in transition on his first shot of the game, fresh off his late arrival to the team following the opening week trade, and then halfway through the quarter, Nick Weiss rebounded a transition look from Steve Priolo and then stayed and played for the offensive shift, where he fed Smith, who sent a tic-tac-toe completing pass to the doorstep where Ryan Benesch was waiting to bury it. It was de Snoo’s first goal in orange and black since February 29, 2020, while it was Benesch’s first with the team since a 4 goal game on April 29, 2017.

Three possessions later, after setting a screen behind the net for Kyle Buchanan while the play was still getting settled, Priolo was left unattended on the roll and took an open lane to the net for a crease diving tally to make it 4-2. After Matt Vinc denied a 1-on-1 look from Mike Manley in transition with 3:30 left in the quarter, Buffalo regained possession, where Smith took his own run to the net and had his shot dribble past Brett Dobson on the near post to make it 5-2. Out of the under 5 timeout after a Bandits turnover, the Swarm’s transition game stopped the run with Jeff Henrick feeding Kason Tarbell for his first of the year after not having any the year prior. The Swarm would then go on the first powerplay of the game, where Nolan Byrne found Kaleb Benedict on the doorstep for a quick stick to bring Georgia back within one after 15 minutes of play.

The second quarter started the same as the first, with Shayne Jackson completing the 16 minute hat trick on Georgia’s first possession. However, it would be Tehoka Nanticoke scoring 42 seconds later to give Buffalo the lead back after picking up a long rebound off a Lyle Thompson shot that rang the far post and scoring on a break. After killing off a penalty soon after the go ahead goal, Mitch de Snoo made the highlight reel by spinning off Nolan Byrne after picking off a loose ball and sending him to the floor. As he sprung the fast break, he fed Josh Byrne off the bench for a breakaway, extending the lead to 2. The Bandits continued the pressure as the quarter progressed, but it was a counterattacking Swarm defense getting on the board next with Mike Grace feeding Ben Trumble for a transition goal. While Dhane Smith got the goal right back on the next possession, goals from Bryan Cole and then another transition setup from Grace to Kaleb Benedict tied the game at 8, which stood into the halftime break.

A Bandit penalty late in the second quarter meant the Swarm would start the third with 22 seconds on the powerplay, and while the Bandits killed it off and even got a transition chance from Nick Weiss that was stopped, the Swarm got back up the floor and Nolan Byrne avenged getting his ankles turned in the second with his first career goal to start the third. However, Buffalo did not let that lead fester any longer, as Ian MacKay found space to catch and shoot and pick the far corner to even the game back up at 9 before Josh Byrne rebounded his own miss and then went in for an over the top dunk to give the Bandits the lead back, and they wouldn’t relinquish it the rest of the way.

Georgia had stayed out the box in the first half, but starting with an illegal substitution to trigger the under 10 timeout, the Bandits got their first powerplay of the season as Jack Travassos headed to the box. The Swarm killed the penalty, but about a minute after returning to full strength, the most likely thing anyone will remember about this game happened.

— Eddy Tabone (@eddytabone.bsky.social) 2025-11-30T02:24:09.819Z

Jeff Henrick picked up a loose ball after a near goal from Lukas Nielsen in front that was denied by Brett Dobson. Taking the path behind the net as he moved forward to move the ball up the floor, Brett Dobson stepped behind the net to set a screen for Henrick, and in doing so, gave Ian MacKay a high stick to the dome, which blew the play dead as the officiating crew doled out a five minute major.

Now,

Travassos headed back to the box to serve the penalty as the in-home. After the officiating review to uphold the penalty, they ended the announcement by adding that the goalie is going to serve. So following some clarification discussions, Dobson walked to the box, creating an crescendo of cheers from Banditland while Devlin Shanahan headed to the crease to tend the goal with Dobson in the box. Meaning that until the conclusion of the major penalty plus the time before the next stoppage in play, the Swarm would not have their starting goaltender (Travasso would be released when play returned to full strength regardless).

With the benefit of the time that has passed, we now have the answers that were not available at the time when the lacrosse universe entered a frenzy of confusion over the play. The league put out a statement that while people gained the impression that goalies had to serve their own major penalties, Dobson was not supposed to be sent to the box to serve it himself. There has been speculation as to why the officiating crew was under this impression (not to mention that it was not the originally scheduled crew, which reportedly still had pending visa clearance at the time of the game), and goalies did used to serve their major penalties in the early days of the league, but it was not the case now. Internet friend of the site Graeme Perrow wrote about this topic and highlighted how Landon Kells had a five minute major last season but didn’t serve the penalty while also pointing out (a) there wasn’t a rule change for this over the summer and (b) the rule in reference to goalies wasn’t very articulately detailed in how a goalie differs from a runner on a major.

Anyways, back to the game.

Two of Buffalo’s first three shot attempts on the 5 minute powerplay rang off iron, and then they were held in check for the rest of the powerplay. However, just as the penalty expired and a shot from Josh Byrne was stopped and frozen by Shanahan, the netminders toss to Seth Van Schepen next to him was bobbled just enough for a lurking Tehoka Nanticoke to scoop up a loose ball and fire his second goal of the game into the rather open net and then celebrate by clapping in the face of his former teammate. Dobson returned to the game, but on the next possession, Georgia took another penalty, and once again, as Travassos got called for an illegal cross-check, this time serving his own penalty. The Bandits powerplay was not foiled this time, as MacKay once again picked the far corner, extending the Bandits lead to 12-9 after 3.

The Swarm completed a superfecta of opening minute goals, as Bryan Cole found Shayne Jackson in front. On the next possession, Josh Byrne took a goaltender interference penalty, but the Swarm were unable to cut the deficit back down to one, nor were they after the Bandits took an illegal substitution penalty halfway through the final frame, and Dhane Smith added shorthanded insurance with 7:07 to play. A goal from Jordan MacIntosh was negated on the next possession by Kyle Buchanan, and then a Dylan Robinson empty net goal wrapped up the scoring, as the Bandits opened up the season with a 15-11 win.

There were no surprises in the box score, as Dhane Smith had 4 goals and added 4 assists, while Josh Byrne had 2 goals and 4 assists. Nick Weiss’s 3 assists joined Tehoka Nanticoke and Kyle Buchanan with 3 point nights. In addition to his goal and assist, Mitch de Snoo blocked 4 shots, caused 2 turnovers, and picked up 11 loose balls. As the primary defender on Lyle Thompson, he and his defensive teammates held the star to a lone point. Connor Farrell won 26 of the game’s 31 faceoffs. In net, Matt Vinc finished with 31 saves, including 11 in the fourth quarter after the extended penalty stretch in the third limited the Bandits defense to only 3 shots on goal against.

For Georgia, Shayne Jackson led with 4 goals and 2 assists, while Kaleb Benedict had 2 goals and 3 assists. Rookies Mike Grace, Carter Page, and Nolan Byrne (who also scored a goal) combined for 7 assists.

Week 1 Review

Oshawa FireWolves 8 – Toronto Rock 7

The FireWolves christened their new home with a gritty win to open the 2025-26 NLL calendar against their new provincial rival. Alex Simmons led the FireWolves with 2 goals and 4 assists and ignited some fire on the rivalry in his postgame interview.

It's a rivalry.

What a comment from the Oshawa FireWolves' Alex Simmons on the Toronto Rock, and their owner, Jamie Dawick.

What many fans might not know, but could expect, is that Dawick did not make it easy for the FireWolves to move to Oshawa. Reports were that Dawick… pic.twitter.com/NYCNS3XPWe

— Adam Levi (@AdamLeviLAX) November 29, 2025

Ethan Walker had 2 goals and an assist, including the go-ahead goal with 53 seconds left. Tye Kurtz and Taggart Clark had a goal and 2 assists each. Doug Jamieson won the goalie battle with 47 saves on the night. For Toronto, the rookies turned heads, led by 2 goals and 2 assists for CJ Kirst. Owen Hiltz also had two goals, and Sam English caused 4 turnovers and 9 loose balls.

San Diego Seals 16 – Ottawa Black Bears 13

The Seals got out to a 6-0 start through 20 minutes, and while Ottawa was able to cut the deficit to 1 in the fourth quarter with a 4-0 run, the Seals pulled away with the final two goals and got their season started with a road win. Tre LeClaire went off for 5 goals and 4 assists, with the rest of the offense finishing with either 5 (2G 3A for Dylan Watson and 1G 4A for Wes Berg) or 4 (3G 1A for Corey Small, 2G 2A for Noah Armitage, and 4A for Ben McIntosh) points. Zach Currier picked up 18 loose balls, while Trevor Baptiste scored and won 28 of 33 faceoffs with Jay Thorimbert out with injury for the Black Bears. After their offense got things going, Ottawa was led by 3 goals and 5 assists from Rob Hellyer against his former team, while Reilly O’Connor had 2 goals and 4 assists and Jeff Teat had 2 goals and 3 assists.

Colorado Mammoth 10 – Vancouver Warriors 7

Will Malcom spoiled the Warriors home opener with a sock trick that provided enough of a cushion for the Mammoth to start their season 1-0. Ryan Lee and Andrew Kew did the majority of the assisting, combining for 11 assists and 3 of the other 4 goals. Dillon Ward outdueled Christian Del Bianco with 39 saves in the win. Keegan Bal had a goal and 6 assists to lead the Warriors, while Jesse King had a goal and 3 assists in his Vancouver debut.

Week 2 Review

Only 2 games last week, hence the combination this week #analytics

Halifax Thunderbirds 11 – Oshawa FireWolves 2

There were times last season where Warren Hill’s role as the Thunderbirds top goaltender was questioned, as Drew Hutchison received his most starts in a season, including their quarterfinal playoff game, but the King of the Hill started the new season with a historical performance, shutting the FireWolves out for the final 45 minutes in an 11-2 blowout. 17 of Hill’s 48 saves came in the third quarter, and another 13 came in the fourth. It’s the second game in NLL history with a goalie giving up 2 goals in a full game, joining a 2015 performance from Matt Vinc. For the offense, Clarke Petterson led with a goal and 5 assists, while Randy Staats had 2 goals and 3 assists and Cody Jamieson had 2 goals and 2 assists. Tye Kurtz had both Oshawa goals.

Saskatchewan Rush 16 – Calgary Roughnecks 13

Off their finals appearance in May, the Rush got out to a strong start to their season, holding off a late push from the rival Roughnecks and winning 16-13 at SaskTel Centre. Austin Shanks was the high scorer for the Rush with 3 goals and 4 assists, with Ryan Keenan scoring twice and adding 4 assists, Mike Messenger also scoring twice with 3 assists, and Robert Church scoring 4 times. Calgary got matching 3 goal 4 assist performances from their leading righties Tyler Pace and Haiden Dickson.

Week 3 Preview

Every team will be in action this weekend, including the three teams who have yet to play this season.

Friday December 12

Saskatchewan Rush (1-0) @ Ottawa Black Bears (0-1) – 7:30 pm, TSN Game of the Week

Ottawa will look to avenge their home opener loss, but their competition is certainly no slouch either. In their lone matchup last season in Saskatchewan on April 19, Jeff Teat started the game with a natural hat trick, but the Rush controlled the rest of the game with a 16-7 win. It will be the Rush’s first trip to Ottawa.

Saturday December 13

Colorado Mammoth (1-0) @ Philadelphia Wings (0-0) – 1:00 pm

A full day of lacrosse action kicks off in Philadelphia as the Wings kick off an Xfinity Mobile Arena double header with a meeting against the Mammoth at 1:00 before the Flyers play the Hurricanes at 7:00. In last season’s matchup on March 15, also in Philly, the Mammoth were victorious by a 10-8 score.

Calgary Roughnecks (0-1) @ Toronto Rock (0-1) – 7:00 pm

Well if you’re a Hamiltonian who didn’t really pay attention to the Rock while they were in Mississauga last season, you’ll probably be confused to see the sentence “Nick Rose and the Rock host the goaltender’s former team in their home opener,” but that is indeed the case. Rose got the win over the Roughnecks on January 24, well before the trade, in last season’s matchup. In Calgary’s last trip to Hamilton, they walked away with an 11-10 win.

Halifax Thunderbirds (1-0) @ Buffalo Bandits (1-0) – 7:00 pm

The Bandits have a Big Rivalry Matchup of their own this weekend with the Thunderbirds coming to town. They defeated Halifax at home on April 12 last season by the score of 15-12. Buffalo has won 7 of the 10 matchups with the Thunderbirds since they arrived in Halifax in 2019.

Oshawa FireWolves (1-1) @ Georgia Swarm (0-1) – 7:30 pm

Now multiple identities removed from what was a Georgia vs New England rivalry before the pandemic, the Swarm host the FireWolves in their home opener in Duluth. The FireWolves have won the last two head-to-head matchups, a 12-8 win in Georgia on January 13, 2024, and 11-10 in Albany on March 15 courtesy of a final minute goal from Dyson Williams.

Las Vegas Desert Dogs (0-0) @ Vancouver Warriors (0-1) – 10:00 pm

The loudest teams this offseason will faceoff in the lower mainland to wrap up a busy Saturday Night, as the Warriors will look to return to .500, while the Desert Dogs will aim for their first ever win in a season opener. Vancouver has won 5 of the 6 all time matchups, including a 12-8 win last season in Henderson on February 14.

Sunday December 14

Rochester Knighthawks (0-0) @ San Diego Seals (1-0) – 5:00 pm, ESPN2

Nicely cushioned between a 1:00 Bills game and an 8:00 Sabres game, the Rochester Knighthawks will make their season debut on the road at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. We will have more on that game Sunday Morning, but for now, the first of many informative messages that the game is on ESPN2.

(Photo Credit: Buffalo Bandits)