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Bandits win two over the weekend, Thunderbirds hand Knighthawks first defeat | NLL Week 9 Review

by Eddy Tabone - 0

Dhane Smith’s place at the top of the points leaderboard has mostly been heavily carried by his assist numbers this year. Coming into the weekend, he had only found the back of the net 9 times in 6 games but had already tallied 33 assists. But maybe it took a back-to-back weekend to get himself back in the scoring rhythm as a 6 goal weekend helped propel the Bandits to two victories.

Buffalo Bandits 13 – Philadelphia Wings 9

It was a slow start for the Bandits on Friday Night, as the Wings jumped out to a 6-2 lead late in the second quarter. Zach Higgins made several huge saves and the Wings’ offense looked like it was clicking after only scoring 5 last week against Toronto.

But Brandon Robinson found the back of the net on a crease dive in the final second of the second quarter, and from there, with the halftime break in between, the Bandits broke open the floodgates, as we have come familiar to seeing over the past couple seasons.

With a Kyle Buchanan goal in between, Dalton Sulver scored twice in less than two minutes to tie the game at 6, and then Smith found Tehoka Nanticoke open in front of the net to give the Bandits a lead that they would not again squander. It was a 6-0 run for the Bandits over a little over five minutes to extend the lead to 9-6 before Ben McIntosh finished the third quarter with his second goal of the game in the final two minutes. See if you notice a trend in that Bandits third quarter.

Dhane Smith had the primary assist on 5 straight and then scored the sixth

Matt Rambo cut the deficit to one to open the fourth, but four more consecutive Bandits goals and a tightened Bandits defensive effort sealed the victory for Buffalo.

Dhane finished with 2 goals and 7 assists to lead the Bandits, helping to spread the wealth for 3 goals from Tehoka Nanticoke and 2 for Kyle Buchanan and Dalton Sulver. Josh Byrne had a goal and four assists of his own, and his 25 goals still lead the league. Matt Vinc bounced back from a tough previous week in Rochester with 45 saves.

For the Wings, Ben McIntosh finished with 3 goals and 2 assists, while Joe Resetarits had a goal and 5 assists.

Buffalo Bandits 16 – New York Riptide 10

New York got out to a good start in their new alternate unis, scoring three of the first four goals, but from there the Bandits were able to slowly chip away and maintain at least a share of the lead before pulling away in the final 20 minutes.

If there was one play to describe this game, it was this goal from Dhane Smith in the second quarter. He metaphorically told everyone “I’ll be taking this” and waltzed his way to 4 goals and 8 assists to cap off a 21-point weekend.

The Bandits needed that extra point barrage from Smith tonight especially in the second half, as Josh Byrne went down with a lower-body injury in the closing minute of the first half and then did not return for the second. His status for next week is not known at this point. The supporting cast was able to share the wealth, however, as Ian MacKay had 4 goals and 2 assists primarily playing forward in this one, Matt Spanger added two transition goals, and Brandon Robinson had 3 goals and 4 assists when the final horn sounded. Matt Vinc shut the Riptide out in the final quarter as part of a 42-save performance.

For the Riptide, Jeff Teat did Jeff Teat things and finished with a team-high 3 goals and 4 assists, while Reilly O’Connor and Connor Kearnan each had a goal and 4 assists.

The Bandits will be back home this weekend for the rematch with the Rochester Knighthawks on Saturday Night, and because of the result of Rochester’s game this week, first place in the East is once again on the line.

Halifax Thunderbirds 17 – Rochester Knighthawks 7

The 8-0 1993 Bandits remain the only undefeated team in league history, as the Thunderbirds defended The Nest and became the first team to defeat the Knighthawks this season, doing so in convincing fashion by a score of 17-7. After Rochester led 2-1 halfway through the first quarter, Halifax scored the next 7 goals to make it 8-2 five minutes into the second quarter. The Knighthawks were able to control scoring in the last segment of the first half and the first half of the third quarter, showing signs of life that maybe they could come from behind as they have in some of their other wins to start the season, but Chris Boushy scored to make it 9-6 after 3, and then the floodgates opened, as Halifax put in 8 goals in the fourth quarter, chasing Rylan Hartley after Chris Boushy made it 13-6.

Warren Hill’s 43 saves on 50 shots on goal helped the Thunderbirds keep the Knighthawks from countering the Thunderbirds’ runs, frustrating the Knighthawks shooters in their lowest-scoring game since last April. Connor Fields was limited to 2 goals and no assists, while Ryan Smith (3A) and Thomas Hoggarth (1A) were unable to solve Hill. Holden Cattoni had 3 goals and an assist as the bright spot for Rochester’s offense. Rylan Hartley made 39 saves but allowed 13 goals before being replaced by Riley Hutchcraft in the fourth quarter, but not before receiving a 5-minute roughing major on his way back to the bench.

Austin Shanks reached his new season high in points with 3 goals and 5 assists to lead the Thunderbirds. Each Halifax forward registered at least three points, with Clarke Petterson netting a goal and adding 4 assists and Eric Fannell putting up a goal and 3 assists of his own. From the defensive end, Jake Withers and Ryan Terefenko added a goal and two assists each and combined for 29 loose balls. Withers won 24 of 28 faceoffs as well.

Two rookies rounded out the storylines in The Maritimes, as Bo Bowhunter had his first career hat trick on, and Max Wilson scored his first NLL goal on a penalty shot in the final minute after the Thunderbirds were called for an illegal substitution.

As mentioned above, the schedule doesn’t get easier for the Knighthawks, as they will travel to Buffalo for a rematch with the Bandits before returning hope to host the Thunderbirds.

Week 8 Around The Rest of the League

Toronto Rock 11 – Calgary Roughnecks 10

The TSN Game of the Week lived up to its billing, as an early 7-1 Toronto lead slowly chipped away throughout the last two and a half quarters. Trailing 10-7 in the final three minutes, Jesse King and Tyler Pace took over, with King scoring with 2:43 left, Pace with 1:21 left, and the King again with 18 seconds to go after Pace knocked down a transition passing effort from Challen Rogers and fed King to force OT. However, the entire province of Ontario breathed a sigh of relief 24 seconds into overtime as Stephen Keogh put in the game-winner for his third of the night.

Toronto improved to 5-2 to keep pace in the East. Corey Small (4G 3A) and Dan Craig (1G 6A) had 7 points each. Tyler Pace’s 2 goals and 4 assists led the way for Calgary, with Jesse King tallying 2 goals and 2 assists.

Saskatchewan Rush 15 – Las Vegas Desert Dogs 10

Seeking their first road win as a franchise, the Desert Dogs started strong, leading 4-2 through 16 minutes, but then the Rush went vintage mode and scored 6 straight goals in 3:33 and then two more consecutively to go up 10-4. Vegas kept pace the rest of the game, but they couldn’t get back closer to a two-goal deficit, as the Rush won 15-10. The vintage performance was led by their dynasty’s core, with Mark Matthews scoring 4 goals and adding 8 assists, Robert Church putting up 5 goals and 3 assists, and Ryan Keenan adding a goal and 5 assists. Rob Hellyer led the Desert Dogs with a goal and 4 assists while Jacob Ruest and Jack Hannah each had a goal and 3 assists.

San Diego Seals 13 – Colorado Mammoth 9

With Dillon Ward a surprise scratch, having been placed on injured reserve earlier in the game, Tyler Carlson had to step in between the pipes for the Mammoth. San Diego did not welcome him there too nicely, as they jumped out to a 7-2 lead at the half and extended it to 11-3 before the Mammoth made a push that was ultimately too late with a 13-9 final. Carlson made 44 saves but was outdueled by Chris Origlieri who continued his hot stretch of goaltending. Dane Dobbie’s 4 goals and 2 assists included his 1000th point, the 13th to reach that mark. Wes Berg had 2 goals and 5 assists while Curtis Dickson added 3 goals and 2 assists. For Colorado, Eli McLaughlin (3G 1A) and Connor Robinson (2G 2A) led a Mammoth team that remains injury strung this season coming off last year’s championship.

Panther City Lacrosse Club 20 – Vancouver Warriors 7

Well, Vancouver led 3-0 4 minutes in at least, but Panther City scored the next 9 into the second quarter and continued to pour it on to a 15-6 halftime lead and then the next 5 goals on their way to a 20-7 win. Will Malcom (5G 8A) and Jonathan Donville (4G 8A) became the first set of teammates in the “modern era” (Since 2005) to have 12+ points in a game. Patrick Dodds added 8 points of his own with 3 goals and 5 assists, while Callum Crawford had his own strong 2 goals and 5 assists in his Panther City debut.

Meanwhile, for Vancouver, this one might be the bottom, and that’s where previewing week 10 kicks off.

Busy Warriors

Logan Schuss left the game with an injury that is expected to keep him out for the rest of the season. This news started making its way around mere hours before the first roster shuffling move, as they traded alternate captain Mitch Jones to Philadelphia for Steph Charbonneau, a 2023 first-round pick, and San Diego’s 2024 second-round pick. Justin Salt, who had been on IR, was also released. The team also signed veteran goalie Aaron Bold, who last played for the team in 2019-20 to bring some experience to a goalie room that has seen Aden Walsh and Ethan Woods struggle to this point.

The Warriors will be home again this weekend as they take on the Rush at 10:00 Eastern on Saturday. It’s the second leg of a TSN Game of the Week doubleheader, with the first being New York heading to Hamilton to take on the Rock at 7:00. Mitch Jones will make his Wings debut at home against the FireWolves on Saturday as the Wings look to climb back into the playoff picture.

Also around the league, Colorado will play a doubleheader, first hosting Georgia in the only game on Friday night (9:00 start) and then bookending the weekend with a trip to Vegas for a 10:30 start Saturday Night. Calgary and Halifax will play in Nova Scotia at 8:00 on Saturday, while San Diego and Panther City will play at 10 from Pechanga Arena.

Of course, the most anticipated game of the week, especially around these parts, will be taking place at KeyBank Center Saturday Night at 7:30 between the Knighthawks and the Bandits, and the crowd is already on pace to be the largest of the season.

As always, all the games are available on ESPN+ and TSN.ca.

Photo Credit: Brandon Hill/NLL
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