Josh Byrne scored five goals in his hometown, but a comeback effort by the Buffalo Bandits fell short in a 13-12 loss to the Vancouver Warriors at Rogers Arena on Friday.  

The Bandits found themselves in penalty trouble early and the Warriors capitalized, scoring on three of four power-play opportunities in the first quarter. They rolled that momentum into the second quarter and scored three unanswered goals before Steve Orleman relieved Devlin Shanahan in goal. Vancouver still added to their run, but the scoring slowed with Orleman in net and allowed the Bandits to mount a comeback. 

Buffalo was down 9-4 in the second quarter and managed to bring the game back within one when Byrne scored his fifth goal with 2:32 remaining. With 16 seconds left, Tehoka Nanticoke put a shot on Vancouver’s Aden Walsh, standing behind his goal line. The referee ruled inconclusive evidence for a goal and Buffalo didn’t get another chance to tie the game.  

With the loss, the Bandits fall to 5-6 and 8th in the NLL standings. 

The Bandits were led in scoring by Byrne, who had eight points (5+3). Just behind him was Dhane Smith (1+5), who continued to average over five assists per game. Chris Cloutier (2+2) and Kyle Buchanan (2+2) each notched pairs of goals and assists. Nick Weiss (0+2), Sam La Roue (0+2) and Ian MacKay (0+2) combined for six assists. Shanahan made 14 saves in 18:09 while Orleman made 30 saves in the final 41:51. 

Vancouver was led by Adam Charalambides (2+6) and Kevin Crowley (3+4). The Warriors had four other multi-point nights from Keegan Bal (3+3), Ryan Martel (1+4), Riley Loewen (3+1) and Kyle Killen (1+2). Walsh earned his second career NLL win making 39 saves. 

Buffalo and Vancouver hadn’t faced off since 2020. Despite that and the 2,600 miles that separate the teams, they played like cross-town rivals. More of the first quarter was spent with a team on the power play than there was 5-on-5 play. There were nine penalties in the first quarter and four power-play goals.  

Despite Buffalo scoring first, Vancouver rode the power play to a quick two-goal lead then scored shorthanded to make it 3-1. Nanticoke had an answer, cutting to the front of the goal from the corner and rolling away from the net and his defender before diving towards the far post across Walsh for a goal. 

The Warriors scored the final goal of the first quarter on a power play and were gaining momentum on the penalty kill as they went to the first quarter break. Once they got back to even strength, Vancouver scored the next four goals and forced Orleman into the game. That was when Buffalo’s defense found their shape. Charalambides put in the second goal behind Orleman and after that, Buffalo kept Vancouver out of the net for the next 17 minutes of play into the third quarter. The Bandits were able to close the gap to two goals and entered the fourth down 11-9.  

Neither offense had an edge in the early goings of the fourth. Eventually, MacKay was able to streak open on a fastbreak but Walsh’s quick reflexes on the save put Buffalo on the back foot in transition. It led to a Vancouver goal and they doubled it up soon after for a 13-9 lead.  

The Bandits scored three goals in the final nine minutes to come within one, including two from Byrne.  

Here’s more from the loss.   

Swiss Army Knife MacKay 

MacKay has lined up just about everywhere for the Buffalo Bandits in the last two seasons. So far this year he’s lined up at the faceoff dot and on the restraining line for the ground ball. He has also now come out of the defensive and offensive door.  

Against Vancouver, MacKay served as Buffalo’s third lefty forward. While he still played defensive shifts he would instead come out on offense and provide physicality and his offensive expertise before running back and being one of the first defenders in transition. MacKay tallied two assists on the night and five loose ball recoveries. 

Dhane and Josh pacing the league 

It’s no surprise to Banditland that Byrne and Smith are at and near the top of the league in points so far this season. With his eight-point effort, Byrne moved to the top of the league in points with 76 through 11 games, one ahead of Clarke Petterson of Halifax. 

As for Smith, not only is he on pace to break his assist record, but he also leads the NLL in the statistic. On top of that, he is currently tied for third in the league in points with 73. 

Next Time Out 

The Bandits will head back to Buffalo to take on the Saskatchewan Rush on March 8. It will be Marvel Superhero Night at KeyBank Center.