Buffalo Bandits 13 – Colorado Mammoth 11

In a way that most Mammoth games have started these season, Buffalo jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening quarter. Dhane Smith drove to the net to score 48 seconds in, and then off of a faceoff win, Connor Farrell sent an outlet to Justin Robinson for a second goal. Less than a minute later, Chris Cloutier buried the third shot on goal of the game to cap off the early run. While Colorado usually finds their offense coming out of halftime, they were able to strike back throughout the first with a run of their own. A bench seal for Connor Kelly but the Mammoth on the board, and then Dylan Kinnear capped off a killed penalty with a no look goal while falling over. Eli McLaughlin rebounded a Zed Williams miss to tie the game, and then it was Zed giving the Mammoth the lead on the powerplay with 4:54 to go in the opening quarter. The Bandits big guns were able to give the Bandits the lead back, with Josh Byrne joining in on the scoring on the powerplay and then Smith getting his own powerplay goal to make it 5-4 Bandits after 1.

From there, 8 shots on goal aside were turned away by the goaltenders in the second, including Colorado’s league-leading PK unit holding off a two man disadvantage. The lone marker to find the back of the net came from a low shot from the Wing from Connor Kelly in the closing seconds of the first half for a deadlock headed into the locker rooms.

With the Bandits shorthanded early in the third quarter, Eli McLaughlin continued to be the Mammoths most clutch third quarter player with a powerplay goal 4:28 into the frame, but the Bandits were able to control the rest of the quarter, starting with Chris Cloutier’s second goal halfway through. Some pick-and-roll action with Tehoka Nanticoke and Kyle Buchanan gave the Bandits the lead back with 1:20 to go in the third, and then it was Buffalo’s turn to finish the quarter with a goal, as Dhane Smith continued his regression scoring with another hat trick, his fourth in five games, with 2.1 seconds left.

A pair of penalties put the Bandits down 5-on-3 almost immediately into the fourth, and it was once again Connor Kelly scoring the first goal of a quarter for the Mammoth. Tehoka Nanticoke scored his first goal of the night with 25 seconds left on the second of the two penalties, but that two goal lead was immediately wiped out with a Mammoth faceoff win and then a goal from Connor Robinson. The next possession saw the same setup, with Kelly’s fourth tying the game, and then after the Bandits were stopped on their ensuing possession, the Mammoth went back down the floor and took their first lead since 4-3 with Zed Williams using his strength to get open in front of the net and make it 10-9 Colorado with 10:53 to play. After a faceoff violation, Buffalo got the ball back and saw Josh Byrne hit the outside of the net on a quick stick. However, he was able to pick up the loose ball and rebound it right away to tie the game back up…albeit for the Bandits to get stopped after the next faceoff win and Colorado to get another goal from Zed in transition, coming off the bench and scoring from outside.

After an incredibly long 2:55 without a goal, Bryne re-tied the game, and then with 5:44 to play, Dhane Smith took the ball to the net for his fourth, giving the Bandits the lead back, which they would not relinquish. Dillon Ward stopped a Byrne penalty shot with 51.7 left to give the Mammoth another chance at tying the game, but a Bandits faceoff win allowed them to continue to kill clock and drew another penalty for a fresh 30 and an opportunity for Smith to bury his fifth into the empty net, giving the Bandits the 13-11 win in Denver.

At 9-7, the Bandits have put themselves in the drivers seat to clinch a playoff berth, thanks to 5 goals and an assist from Dhane Smith and 3 goals and 4 assists from Josh Bryne. Chris Cloutier also added 2 goals and 4 assists. For Colorado, Zed Williams had 3 goals and 2 assists, Connor Kelly had 4 goals and an assist, and Tyson Gibson had 5 assists to round out the trio of point leaders for the team.

New York Riptide 14 – Rochester Knighthawks 9

Jeff Teat opened the scoring from outside 3:54 into the game before the Knighthawks got their first goal of the game from Connor Fields minutes later on a back door cut and feed from Curtis Knight. Rochester took the lead with 7:57 to go courtesy of Kyle Waters. They looked to go up two with less than five to play, as Fields got Cameron Dunkerley out of position after committing to the pump fake, but he was able to recover as Fields passed to Thomas McConvey on the doorstep, where Dunkerley was able to get his stick on the shot for the incredible save. As the Riptide went back the other way for their next possession, Teat and Reilly O’Connor played pick and roll and scored to tie the game and then took the lead in quick succession with another pick and roll play, this time Teat feeding Larson Sundown.

Ryan Smith tied the game with 10:51 left in the half, and then after ringing the crossbar from outside, Connor Fields rebounded his miss and gave the Knighthawks a second possession, which was capped off with a go-ahead goal from Ryan Lanchbury. The chance to go up 5-3 was once again stopped by the crossbar, the second to that point in the game for Smith, and a pair of possessions later off a turnover, Dunkerley sent a laser outlet to a fresh off the bench Jeff Teat who walked in for a breakaway tally to tie it back up. A runner from Teat with 1:06 left in the half made it 5-4 Riptide after 30.

In the opening minute of the third quarter, Dan Coates picked off a lob pass and pushed in on a breakaway, only for another Knighthawks crossbar to stand in the way. Rochester looked to have a stop on the ensuing possession, but as the shot clock wound down, Stephen Keogh put a prayer no look underhand shot past Doug Buchan with Tyler Biles all over him to make it 6-4. It was Keogh again just under 4 minutes into the game making the score 7-4 again with Biles providing the close defense. An illegal screen call gave the Riptide another opportunity to score, this time in transition from Kevin Brownell.

With 6:44 to play, Reilly O’Connor got his second of the game, but the story was what came after, as O’Connor appeared to shove through Thomas Whitty as part of his goal celebration, which Whitty took offense to, leading to multiple parties getting tangled up. Biles tried to fight Taggart Clark but the officials stepped in before more than a punch could attempt to be thrown. Teat and Whitty began shoving before Larson Sundown chased after Whitty and Ryland Rees chased in to keep Sundown away from that one. Biles and Clark grabbed onto each other once again while the official stood between them once more. Nearly after a minute of near fights, the officials had prevented even a single one from commencing somehow, and the penalty margin ended up in the Riptide’s favor with Whitty and Biles getting extra two minutes while Teat and Clark each only got two. While the officials worked to sort the citations out, Mike Hasen called for Rylan Hartley to enter the game not only to give Doug Buchan a quick breather with the Riptide’s top ranked powerplay about to go up two, but also to keep up the already rowdy Blue Cross Arena crowd’s energy while the delay continued, signifying Hartley’s return to game action for the first time since his concussion suffered on the same side of the floor on December 23.

After nearly 6 minutes of real time, the Riptide got their powerplay on the floor, and after Keogh’s pass to Sundown sailed wide, Hartley ran out the net to recover the loose ball to force the turnover, only for Connor Kearnan to break up Hartley’s stick just enough to send a floating loose ball into the air and into the stick of Keogh for his third goal of the quarter.

With Doug Buchan back in the net following the goal, Keogh looked to have his fourth of the game, but it was called back for a successful challenge of a crease violation. Rochester managed to kill off the rest of the penalty. As the game returned to its previous pace of the first half, the Knighthawks had a transition opportunity with Coates being stopped by Dunkerley, but Thomas McConvey stripped Andrew Borgotti’s rebound and scored to end the Riptide’s run…or so they thought. The Riptide challenged and after a lengthy three minute review, the officials reviewed McConvey had run through the crease before scoring, which led to another return to the monitor after a plea from Mike Hasen, arguing Borgotti having possession, as marked by the reset of the shot clock. After another 3-4 minutes, Chris Williams and his crew announced that it remained no goal because McConvey was the first to check Borgotti after running through the crease. Play resumed after over 7 minutes of stoppage and continued with scoreless lacrosse, the Riptide leading 10-6 after 3 after a 5-0 third.

The Knighthawks attempt at a comeback started with Curtis Knight getting on the board with 12:48 to play, and then less than a minute later, he appeared to score again, only for another challenge to determine that Rylan Lanchbury had been in the crease and not re-established between the time the ball left the stick and went in the net. Fortunately this time for Rochester, they did not become a victim of a two goal swing, with Connor Fields finding an open Kyle Waters to officially make it 10-6 with 11:05 left. The Knighthawks killed off a penalty and were rewarded with Lanchbury rebounding a blocked Thomas McConvey shot to make it 10-7 with 8:02 left, and then drew a penalty of their own, but the Riptide scored next as Mitch Wilde got a free run on a breakaway with a slow Rochester change for the shorthanded tally. Ryan Smith ended the powerplay with a goal, and then after getting the ball back got another marker from Lanchbury to cut the deficit to two with still 5:20 left. After an extended possession, Tyler Biles forced a passing turnover and fed Connor Fields alone in front, but Dunkerley made the save and covered up to bring on the under five timeout. The Riptide added insurance with 3:17 left with a cut to the net from Connor Kearnan and then empty net goals from Damon Edwards and Jeff Teat to give the Riptide the victory and the edge in the playoff hungry middle of the pack.

Jeff Teat continued his MVP case with 4 goals and 9 assists, joined with 3 goals and 2 assists from Stephen Keogh and 49 saves from Cameron Dunkerley. At 8-8, they moved into the 8th spot.

For the streaky Knighthawks, the loss dropped them to 6-9 after having gotten back to 6-6 three weeks back. They remain alive, with the benefit of tiebreakers over most of the teams bunched into the middle of the pack, but the 8th spot is hovering around 9 wins, meaning it will likely take winning out to get there, starting with a tough road trip to Toronto to take on the first place Rock this weekend. Ryan Lanchbury led the Knighthawks with 3 goals and 2 assists and Kyle Waters had 2 goals and 2 assists. The Riptide limited Connor Fields to a goal and 3 assists, Ryan Smith to 2 goals, and Thomas McConvey to 2 assists. Getting his first start of the season with Riley Hutchcraft out with injury, Doug Buchan had 35 saves.

NLL Week 19 Around The League

Calgary Roughnecks 12 – Saskatchewan Rush 10

The home-and-home Battle of the Prairies weekend began with a 4-0 opening quarter pacing the Roughnecks to a 12-10 victory. Tanner Cook’s goal and 6 assists led the beach night-clad Roughnecks in points with Jesse King adding 2 goals and 4 assists and Tyler Pace adding 2 goals and 3 assists. Christian Del Bianco cancelled out the Rush’s 62-41 advantage in shots on goal with 52 saves. For the Rush, a goal and 3 assist from Robert Church and Mike Triolo each had a goal and 3 assists with 8 different Rush players scoring goals.

Saskatchewan Rush 12 – Calgary Roughnecks 9

The Rush responded from the previous night’s stinker with another stinker in their home leg, albeit not during the actual game. The Rush jumped out to a 6-2 lead early in the second period on their way to a 12-9 win to split the weekend and keep both teams at 7-9. Zach Manns bounced back from a down game the night prior with 3 goals and 4 assists, with Robert Church scoring twice and assisting on 6 Rush goals. Frank Scigliano got the win with 43 saves. Jesse King had 2 goals and 4 assists to lead the Roughnecks and Haiden Dickson had 2 goals and 2 assists.

San Diego Seals 14 – Panther City 10

Trailing 10-9 with 5 minutes to play, the Seals rattled off 5 straight goals to claim a home win and give the Bandits some help along the way with Panther City falling to 7-8. Wes Berg had 3 goals and 3 assists to lead the Seals and Austin Staats had 4 goals and an assist. Trevor Baptiste took player of the week honors across the league with 2 goals and an assist and winning 25 of 27 faceoffs. Callum Crawford and Will Malcom each had 6 points for Panther City, who had no other register more than 2 points despite 7 players reaching that plateau.

Panther City 12 – Philadelphia Wings 10

However, for Panther City, they pounced back up to 8-8 on Sunday with a home win over Philadelphia with Jonathan Donville (2G 2A) scoring the go ahead goal with less than 3 to play. Rookie Jason Knox had a career afternoon to lead Panther City with 4 goals and 4 assists. Will Malcom had a goal and 5 assists, and Callum Crawford had 2 goals and 3 assists. Panther City had 10 powerplay attempts in the game, scoring on 6. Nick Damude got the win with 43 saves. Zach Higgins stood tall again for the Wings with 54 saves despite the loss, and Mitch Jones led the offense with 2 goals and 3 assists, with Joe Resetarits pitching in 3 goals and an assist and Holden Cattoni a goal and 3 assists.

Vancouver Warriors 15 – Halifax Thunderbirds 13

Well, it just keeps getting more and more interesting in the lower mainland of British Columbia. After going down 7-2, Curt Malawsky’s resilient crew chipped away on their way to a home win 15-13 for their 5th win in 6 games, and are now tied with the Rush and Roughnecks at 7-9. Keegan Bal, who has had more than 5 points in each of those 6 games, led the Warriors with 5 goals and an assist, and Ryan Martel added 4 goals and an assist of his own. Adam Charalambides flipped the statline with a goal and 4 assists. Aden Walsh got the win with 45 saves, including 14 in the fourth quarter. Halifax dropping to 9-8 jumped the Bandits into 5th place. They were led by the right side of the offense, with 3 goals and 4 assists from Austin Shanks, 2 goals and 5 assists from Clarke Petterson, and Randy Staats returning from injury with 4 goals and an assist.

Toronto Rock 10 – Albany FireWolves 7

The first place Rock made another statement to the league that they are the team to beat, halting the FireWolves offense with the stellar night for Nick Rose, with 48 assists and his fourth career goal for icing on the cake. Tom Schreiber had a goal and distributed 5 assists to lead the offense. For Albany, outside of Alex Simmons scoring 2 goals and adding an assist, three FireWolves had 2 points and 6 had a single point. Doug Jamieson had 45 saves in the loss.

Georgia Swarm 13 – Las Vegas Desert Dogs 9

And in the final recap of a 9 game week 19, the Swarm punched their ticket to their first postseason berth since 2019 with a 13-9 win over Vegas. Andrew Kew had 3 goals and 3 assists with a five point trio from Shayne Jackson (4G 1A), Lyle Thompson (2G 3A), and Seth Oakes (1G 4A). Jack Hannah was held goalless but led the Desert Dogs with 6 assists. Casey Jackson and Dylan Watson each had 2 goals and an assist.

Week 20 Preview

Philadelphia Wings (5-11) @ Colorado Mammoth (5-10) – Friday April 12 – 9:00pm

This game will have already been played by the time this is published, but regardless, a Wings win would improve their draft stock, as they own the Mammoth’s first round pick.

Rochester Knighthawks (6-9) @ Toronto Rock (13-3) – Saturday April 13 – 7:30pm – TSN Game of the Week

As mentioned earlier, this game might be must win unless enough happens around the league to open the door for an 8-10 team to make the playoffs. The issue being that they have to head into Hamilton to take on the Rock, which is not a great recipe for a team that is struggling the last few weeks on offense either. It’s the Knighthawks first national TV game of the season. Their lone TSN Game of the Week appearance last season was a 9-8 goalie duel also in Hamilton.

Calgary Roughnecks (7-9) @ Buffalo Bandits (9-7) – Saturday April 13 – 7:30pm

A sold out Key Bank Center will look to propel the Bandits into a playoff berth. A win against the Roughnecks or each of San Diego, New York, and Albany winning against Saskatchewan, Vancouver, and Panther City, respectfully. The teams did not face each other last season, with their lone matchup since the 2019 finals coming in week 1 of 21-22, which was a 16-9 Bandits win.

San Diego Seals (12-4) @ Saskatchewan Rush (7-9) – Saturday April 13 – 9:00pm

After a three game series last season in which the Seals took two wins, the Seals and Rush play their lone matchup of the season with the Seals still on the doorstep of a potential one seed and the Rush aiming to keep in the playoff mix.

New York Riptide (8-8) @ Vancouver Warriors (7-9) – Saturday April 13 – 10:00pm

It’s the Riptide’s turn to try and stop the hottest team in the league on their home floor as they travel to Vancouver to take on the Warriors. The Riptide won last season’s matchup 16-8 in the final week of the season.

Colorado Mammoth (5-10) @ Las Vegas Desert Dogs (4-12) – Saturday April 13 – 10:00pm

The Mammoth and Desert Dogs will play their lone matchup of the season after a split in 2023 where the home team won their respective legs.

Albany FireWolves (10-6) @ Panther City (8-8) – Sunday April 14 – 5:00pm

At 10-6 with 4 losses in a row, Albany has Georgia and Buffalo creeping really close to taking over the three or even four seed from the young FireWolves. They head to Fort Worth for Panther City’s final home game of the season. PCLC defeated Albany last April in the lone head-to-head matchup all time.

(Featured Photo Credit: John Harrison)