Lyle Thompson had a game-high 10 points and Nolan Byrne had a hat trick in his playoff debut as the Georgia Swarm eliminated the Buffalo Bandits from the 2026 NLL Playoffs with a 17-10 win at Gas South Arena on Saturday.
Thompson tallied four goals and six assists to set a playoff career-high in points for the 10-year NLL veteran. Fourteen Swarm players had at least one point in the contest including Kean Moon, who had a career-high six assists. Three Swarm players had a hat trick including Shayne Jackson – who had five points – and Richie Connell.
It’s the first time the Bandits will not advance past the first round of the playoffs since 2018. NLL MVP favorite Brett Dobson made 36 saves and silenced the Bandits offense as he stopped all 11 of Dhane Smith’s shots to hold him scoreless. Josh Byrne – who had a team-high six points – didn’t score until there were 46 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Ian MacKay had a hat trick and five points but the Bandits offense struggled in the first half as four forwards were held pointless through the first two quarters.
The Swarm had three scoring runs of three or more goals, including a stretch of five consecutive tallies in the second half.
Notably for the Bandits, they were without captain and defenseman Steve Priolo while Tehoka Nanticoke and Clay Scanlan returned to the lineup. Scanlan had a goal while Nanticoke was held to an assist.
The Bandits trailed 3-1 at the end of the first quarter, which saw Dobson make 13 saves. Thompson opened the scoring 40 seconds in and a Dylan Robinson transition goal was sandwiched between back-to-back goals from Georgia’s Kaleb Benedict.
The Swarm took an 8-2 lead in the second quarter with eight goals on their first 20 shots. They scored five times in 5:42 as Nolan Byrne had a hat trick and Shayne Jackson had a pair.
The Bandits battled back with three goals in the final 5:12 of the quarter and cut the deficit to 9-5 at halftime. Scanlan scored to make it 8-3 and the Bandits scored twice in the last two minutes with goals by defensemen Cam Wyers and Mitch de Snoo.
The Bandits scored just once in the third quarter as Joe Resetarits scored his first playoff goal since 2022. Ben Trumble – who was assessed a two-minute penalty for an illegal body check after it was originally ruled a five-minute major – scored coming right out of the penalty box and Bryan Cole made it 12-6 in the final minute of the quarter.
The Swarm scored seven of nine goals from the late stages of the third quarter to the 10:50 mark of the fourth quarter. The Bandits scored four times in the last stanza as MacKay scored twice while Buchanan and Byrne each had a goal in the final minute.
An unforgettable run with the best fans in the world. We’ll be back.
Thank you, Banditland! 🧡 pic.twitter.com/37a67YjaOW
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) April 26, 2026