John Tavares let out an allayed exhale during his press conference following Game 3 of the NLL Finals on Saturday.
“Finally,” the Buffalo Bandits head coach said.
The Bandits were in the championship round for the third time in a row, having come up empty in their first two trips. This year, however, the Bandits got the job done with an extraordinary effort to claim the organization’s first NLL Cup since 2008.
In the decisive third game of the series Saturday night at KeyBank Center, the Bandits stifled the Colorado Mammoth 13-4 in front of 18,296 fans. The four goals against set a record for fewest goals allowed in an NLL Finals game.
Sweet dreams, Banditland.
We're champions! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/mia93cByGm
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) June 4, 2023
A fifth Bandits championship banner will soon hang in the rafters of KeyBank Center in large part because of NLL Finals MVP Dhane Smith, who finished the series with 23 points.
Smith posted 49 points through six playoff games, setting the NLL record for most points in a postseason. He became the fourth player in NLL history to record at least 150 career playoff points (154).
“I’ve been in this league 11-plus years and I had nothing to show for it until tonight. I’m so thankful for this organization, for Banditland, for every fan that no matter what the circumstances were,” Smith said. “I know Buffalo has been so much in the past few years and they deserve it more than ever. I’m just so thankful for my teammates because I wouldn’t be sitting here without every one of those guys.”
Josh Byrne, who missed Games 1 and 2 because of an injury, led the team in goals (4) on Saturday, while finishing second in total points (7). Tehoka Nanticoke (1+2), Chris Cloutier (1+2), and Chase Fraser (2+1) all had three-point nights for Buffalo.
Veteran goaltender Matt Vinc played arguably his best game of the year when his team needed him most, turning aside 46 of the Mammoth’s 50 shots for a .920 save percentage.
Byrne, a cornerstone of the team through and through, was activated off IR hours before the game Saturday afternoon. He described the past week as “one of the biggest emotional rollercoasters” of his life.
“I remember calling [Smith] the day before [Game 1] and just bawling my eyes out telling him I can’t play. It was frustrating, just frustrating,” he said. “I never thought I would have to sit out a championship game, especially from an injury. It’s just the most frustrating thing ever, but the universe has a funny way of working and fortunately we were able to get to Game 3 and now we’re champs. You couldn’t have written it any better.”
After sustaining a loss in Colorado for Game 2, the Bandits found themselves in a 1-1 series, the same predicament as last year. Viciously desperate to avoid a repeat of 2022, in which the Mammoth rallied back to win the title in Banditland, the Bandits executed a solid game plan to dominate in Game 3.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER
The first quarter proved to be a stagnant case by box lacrosse standards, with the scoreboard only flashing a 2-1 score at the end of one.
The goaltenders put on a clinic in the opening 15 minutes. Vinc made 10 saves and Dillon Ward stopped 14.
A handful of early stops from Vinc set the tone, allowing the Bandits offense to maintain a sense of momentum.
To open the scoring, Nanticoke swerved around Colorado defenders to bury one 1:40 into the game. Colorado answered quickly with a goal from Connor Robinson at 5:06.
A lively atmosphere followed from all parties involved, leading to Smith drawing a penalty with just 54.5 seconds left in the quarter. Then with just 0.2 seconds remaining, Byrne rocketed a goal past Ward to put Buffalo ahead again. Colorado trailed for the rest of the game.
Byrnzy got a little assist on that one. 👀#NLLFinals | @Joshbyrne94 pic.twitter.com/Uku4mG3H0L
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) June 4, 2023
SECOND QUARTER
Fraser’s first of the night was also a tally worthy of the highlight reel. He pump-faked just about everybody in KeyBank Center before depositing his tally at the 3:27 mark.
The Fraze got 'em. 😯#LetsGoBandits | @The_Fraze95 pic.twitter.com/wZmmxuLoFB
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) June 4, 2023
Fraser wouldn’t be satisfied with just one in the second, as he placed another one in the back of the net with 4:40 left in the half to give Buffalo a 4-1 edge. McLaughlin clipped Colorado’s deficit to two with 2:28 remaining.
Buffalo held a 4-2 lead and a commanding 34-22 advantage in shots on goal at the half.
THIRD QUARTER
The Bandits came into the second half on the attack. Byrne scored twice in the first 3:30 (the first at 0:28 and again at 3:14), setting up a quarter in which the Bandits outscored Colorado 4-1. Byrne ended up with three of those goals.
Buffalo ended up in the driver’s seat with an 8-3 lead and just 15 minutes remaining.
FOURTH QUARTER
Cloutier opened the fourth-quarter scoring, capitalizing on a behind-the-back dish from Byrne.
Following another Colorado goal, the Bandits closed things out on a four-goal run that put Banditland in a frenzy.
The phrase “ball don’t lie” is commonly used in sports, and it applied in the fourth quarter, with Matt Spanger’s first goal of the Finals coming at 10:50. A standing ovation from Banditland just over a minute later catalyzed even more Bandits to write their stories in the NLL history books.
Fresh off a loud ovation for a goal by Matt Spanger at 4:10, Brad McCulley added his first of the game 1:18 later. And just five seconds later, Max Adler potted another.
Smith closed out the scoring on a breakaway with 5:41 remaining.
The storybook ending culminated with Banditland singing and cheering in unison, at a deafening tone as the Bandits players catapulted over their bench as the final seconds ticked down.
The final horn sounded and the ribbon board below the videoboard flashed “NLL CHAMPIONS.”
The view from the top of the mountain. #LetsGoBandits pic.twitter.com/SzNZDz13uU
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) June 4, 2023
The dogpile that formed was assembled with a collective thought in everyone’s mind; a fifth championship banner would soon hang from KeyBank Center, and every player, coach, staff member, and personnel could stake claim to it.
“It’s a dream come true, a weight off my shoulders, a weight off all of our shoulders,” Smith said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I think that was our most complete game of the year.”