Buffalo Bandits 18 – Philadelphia Wings 12

The Bandits poured out to the early lead, which has been a theme of late for teams traveling to Wells Fargo Center this season. After Sam LeClair put the first shot attempt of the game past Matt Vinc but didn’t score due to his foot being in the crease, Dhane Smith got in close for the first goal of the game 54 seconds in. Then after Scott Dominey went to the box for roughing, Smith cashed in his second from the point. When they got the ball back, Smith found a streaking Tehoka Nanticoke in transition to make it 3-0 with 11:05 left in the first. Philadelphia scored their first goal of the game courtesy of Joe Resetarits wit 6:07 left after their defense forced a shot clock violation, but Buffalo got the goal back a minute later on a Josh Byrne crease dive. An illegal substitution put the Bandits back on the powerplay, where Smith finished off the first quarter hat trick to give Buffalo a 5-1 lead. The Wings got two back before the quarter expired, with Mitch Jones fighting to get to the net and finishing a crease dive and then a low-to-low shot from Holden Cattoni.

A hustle rebound from Chad Tutton opened the scoring in the second half, diving to the net to get his stick head on the ball and deliver it into the net. The Bandits took back the two goal lead minutes later with Kyle Buchanan going behind the back in stride. After scoring stalled for the middle of the quarter, the Wings forced a turnover out of the under five timeout and came back the other way and got a transition goal from Joe Resetarits. Buffalo got the goal right back on the ensuing possession with Josh Byrne feeding a cutting Ian MacKay for an open lane to the net with 3:31 to go in the half. Chris Cloutier scored in traffic less than a minute later to make it 8-5, and that wrapped up second quarter scoring.

Late coincidental minors set the start of the second half at 4-on-4, and the Wings took advantage of the extra space by opening up the scoring in the half courtesy of Holden Cattoni. Then a powerplay gave Cattoni another chance to score, and the Wings had gotten back within one 2:30 into the half. A Bandits powerplay got them back on the board with Chase Fraser firing a midrange bouncer. A third straight Wings goal from Cattoni got the goal back on the next possession, and then after a defensive stop, Mitch Jones pulled up to tie the game up at 9 with 5:34 left in the quarter. However, that deadlock would not last too long, as the Bandits got a stop on a Zack Belter blocked shot, Dhane Smith got an isolation look and fired a sidearm shot in to make it 10-9. Out of the under 5, Paul Dawson broke up a quick stick opportunity from the Wings, leading to Smith finding an open Kyle Buchanan to make it 11-9.

Steve Priolo found Chase Fraser in transition to push the Bandits lead back up to 3 in the first minute of the fourth quarter. The Wings got back to back goals from Joe Resetarits and Ben McIntosh on back-to-back possessions, but starting with Dhane Smith’s 5th goal of the game with 8:35 to go, the Bandits took a vintage run to ensure no comeback would take place. Chase Fraser took an off ball penalty after the goal, but the Bandits killed the Wings powerplay and came back the other way with Brandon Robinson getting his first goal since January 27. After some more sustained possession time and a pair of resets off offensive rebounds, it was Smith finding Josh Byrne this time to make it 15-11. Byrne got another goal with 3:29 to play to make it 16-11. Empty net goals from Nick Weiss and Steve Priolo capped off what would finish as a 6-0 run, and aside from a goal from Blaze Riorden with 9 seconds left, the Bandits had themselves a victory to improve to 8-7.

One blink and 5 goals and 7 assists later from Dhane Smith and the former MVP has gotten himself back up to 25 goals on the season in a late season push in the goal column to go with his now 84 assists. Josh Byrne, who still is 3 points ahead of Smith for the team and league lead, had 3 goals and 8 assists. Chase Fraser (2G 3A) and Chris Cloutier (1G 4A) had five points each, and Matt Vinc stopped 51 shots for his fourth 50 save game of the season in the winning effort. For the Wings, Joe Resetarits had 3 goals and 5 assists and Holden Cattoni matched with 4 goals and 4 assists, with Mitch Jones adding 2 goals and 5 assists.

Halifax Thunderbirds 12 – Rochester Knighthawks 9

Rochester appeared to have opened the scoring with 12:09 left in the first quarter, with Ethan O’Connor feeding Matt Gilray for a transition marker, but the review process concluded O’Connor had not re-established position outside of the crease after having a toe on the line as Gilray’s shot was headed towards the net. Minutes later. the Thunderbirds were able to end the Knighthawks streak of scoring first, scooping up a rebound to make it 1-0 Halifax. A midrange shot from Curtis Knight tied the game at 1. After picking off a pass, Gilray got loose in transition only to be stopped by Warren Hill, but the officials awarded the Knighthawks with a penalty shot. Ryan Smith got to take the shot, put the ball past Hill’s left shoulder, only for it to ring off the cross bar and stay out. The Thunderbirds got back on the board soon after, with Cody Jamieson feeding Dawson Theede from behind the net for the goal. Smith got his redemption chance shorthanded with 1:26 left in the quarter, rebounding a miss and beating Hill over the other shoulder to tie the game at 2. Cody Jamieson finished off the Thunderbrids powerplay on the next possession with a goal from the point, and then Theede scored on the 6-on-5 to finish the quarter on a quick stick, giving the Thunderbirds a 4-2 lead after the first.

On their first possession of the second quarter, Thomas McConvey scored after being help goalless in Colorado the week prior, and then the Knighthawks tied the game about a minute later after some Connor Fields improvisation magic to wait out the defense and get an open look in front 1:55 into the quarter. McConvey got his second less than two minutes later on a bench seal from his opposite side to give Rochester their first lead of the game. Cody Jamieson scored his second in response to re-tie the game at 5. Fields made it 6-5 with 5:42 to go in the half, and then Ryan Benesch tied the game back up in the waning seconds of a powerplay in the final 3 minutes, making it a deadlock at 6 after 30.

The Thunderbirds drew a penalty on the first possession of the second half, where Dawson Theede scored on the first attempt of the powerplay to go back up 7-6. Clarke Petterson scored on the run with 11:20 to go and then later got a second straight goal on a drive to the net to give the Thunderbirds the first three goal lead of the game for either team with 7:07 left in the quarter. Out of the under five, Doug Buchan entered the game for Riley Hutchcraft, and after it became clear that Hutchcraft was no longer on the bench, the broadcast picked up that he had left the game with an apparent injury, not to return for the rest of the night. Rochester scored first after this goalie change, with Turner Evans finishing off an almost ally-oop play in front with 3:59 to go, but a third goal from Cody Jamieson on the next possession brought it back to 10-7. Halifax got one more to finish out the quarter, with Aaron Woods finishing off a multi-shot possession with his second.

A 5-on-3 gave the Knighthawks the early chance in the quarter for a push back, with Ryan Smith beating Hill over the shoulder on which his penalty shot hit the post, but Halifax killed off the second penalty and drew one of their own quickly after play returned to even strength. Ryan Benesch snuck his way into an opening in front of the net and finished in tight with a goal that moved past Dan Dawson for fourth all time in goals with 532. The defenses took over the rest of the way, with a goal from Ryan Lanchbury on the Knighthawks first empty net chance with 1:32 to play being the final goal of the game, setting the Thunderbirds victory at 12-9 in their old stomping grounds.

Previous-era Knighthawks led the way for the Thunderbirds, with Ryan Benesch scoring 2 goals and adding 5 assists, and both Cody Jamison and Dawson Theede adding 3 goals and 3 assists. Clarke Petterson had 2 goals and 4 assists, with Austin Shanks also adding 4 assists. Warren Hill made 45 saves in the win, which holds the Thunderbirds at 9-7 at 5th in the standings, tied with Georgia for 4th and a half game up on the Bandits in 6th.

Rochester dropped to 6-8 but remains a half game behind the Riptide for 8th, although they find themselves tied with Saskatchewan and Calgary now in that 6-8 spot, setting up for a chaotic end to the season in the playoff chase. Ryan Smith’s 2 goals and 3 assists led the Knighthawks, with 2 goals and 2 assists from Connor Fields and a goal and 3 assists from Ryan Lanchbury. In 19:30 after relieving Riley Hutchcraft’s 24 saves on 45 shots on goal faced, Doug Buchan only faced 10 shots on goal, stopping 7.

Week 18 Around The League

Saskatchewan Rush 16 – Philadelphia Wings 12

The weekend didn’t start great for the Wings either, as they dropped a Thursday night matchup to the Rush in a January 13 makeup game. Robert Church’s 3 goals and 5 assists and Ryan Keenan’s 2 goals and 5 assists led the now 6-8 Rush in the win, with Zach Manns and Clark Walter each registering hat tricks of their own. Holden Cattoni and Mitch Jones each had 7 points for the Wings in the loss.

Vancouver Warriors 12 – Las Vegas Desert Dogs 9

A 7-2 second quarter led the Warriors to a season sweep of the Desert Dogs in the Vegas leg of the season series. Keegan Bal’s hot streak continued with 4 goals and 5 assists. Adam Charalambides continued to lead the left side with 3 goals and 3 assists, while Kevin Crowley added a goal and 4 assists. Aden Walsh made 45 saves in the win. For Vegas, who has officially been eliminated at 4-11, saw Zack Greer score 3 goals and add an assist, and Connor Kirst also had 3 goals.

Week 19 Preview

Back to 9 games this weekend after the breather to end the month of March. Giddy up again.

Buffalo Bandits (8-7) @ Colorado Mammoth (5-9) – Friday April 5, 9:00 pm, ESPNU

Some scheduling help and a Bandits win could eliminate the Mammoth this week as the Loud House looks to rally the late season push to overcome the 5-9 start. The Bandits won the first matchup of the season 12-8 on January 6, 2024. It will be the 10th game between the two teams post-COVID after their back-to-back finals meetings.

New York Riptide (7-8) @ Rochester Knighthawks (6-8) – Saturday April 6, 7:00 pm

Rochester owns wins over the three teams that they are tied with in the win column at 6 (Sask, Calgary, Vancouver), so adding another one against the 7-8 Riptide, with a win over 7-win Panther City as well, could be massive in the end of season tiebreakers. It’s looking like 9-9 is hovering as the playoff cutoff right now, so the more wins against common opponents the better. The Knighthawks won both games against the Riptide last season, including an 11-10 overtime win to improve to 8-2 last February. As of now, Hutchcraft’s status remains uncertain for this game, and Dylan Sprentz has been added back to the Knighthawks practice squad in case he has to back Doug Buchan up if Hutchcraft cannot go.

Battle of the Prairies Plays 2

The 6-8 Rush and Roughnecks will play Friday Night at 9:00 in Calgary and 9:00 in Saskatoon on Saturday, with both teams at 6-8 and needing at least one of the two games this weekend to keep pace in the playoff race, currently tied with Rochester for 9th and a half game behind the Riptide for 8th. Calgary has won 7 straight in the series dating back to 2019 after the Rush won the first 9 after moving to Saskatchewan between 2016 and 2017 (back in the good old days of 9 teams).

Panther City (7-7) @ San Diego Seals (11-4) – Friday April 5, 10:00 pm

The Seals took the first game in overtime back on March 1, and with both Panther City and San Diego going to overtime in Week 17 and coming off a bye week, both teams will be rested back up for the second game of the season series.

Halifax Thunderbirds (9-7) @ Vancouver Warriors (6-9) – Friday April 5, 10:00 pm

Vancouver finished March 4-1, including three straight wins, but the Thunderbirds are coming to town for the first time looking to stomp out that run to start April and punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win. The first matchup between the Warriors and Thunderbirds came back on March 5, 2022 in Halifax, where the Thunderbirds won 14-12.

Las Vegas Desert Dogs (4-11) @ Georgia Swarm (9-7) – Saturday April 6, 7:30 pm

Fighting with the Thunderbirds for that crucial first round home floor advantage in the four seed, and holding onto the head-to-head win tiebreaker, Georgia has the control of their destiny with two games remaining against two of the bottom three teams currently in the standings and are one win behind the FireWolves to even potentially sneak into a three seed along the way.

Toronto Rock (12-3) @ Albany FireWolves (10-5) – Saturday April 6, 7:00 pm

Albany faces their biggest challenge of the season with the Rock coming to town with a 2 game lead over them for the one seed. Toronto has won all four matchups with the FireWolves since they moved to Albany to start 21-22.

Philadelphia Wings (5-10) @ Panther City (7-7) – Sunday April 7, 4:00 pm

Panther City finishes off the two game weekend with their second matchup of the season against the Wings, who may be eliminated from playoff contention by the time Sunday rolls around, but if not, need to take this game to keep their narrow playoff hopes alive. Panther City won the Philadelphia matchup of the head-to-head, guess what, in overtime, 9-8 on March 10.

(Header photo credit: NLL)