The Buffalo Bandits led by two with less than six minutes remaining, but Michael Sowers – who had a game-high four goals – powered a late fourth-quarter comeback and the Philadelphia Wings won 13-11 at KeyBank Center on Saturday.
The Bandits dropped their fourth straight game and fell to 3-5 despite leading 11-9 with 6:07 to play after a highlight-reel, one-handed goal from Lukas Nielsen, who recorded his second career goal.
The Wings surged back with four goals in 4:04 to erase the two-goal deficit. Brennan O’Neill’s fourth goal of the game ignited the comeback with 5:32 to go as two goals from Sowers were sandwiched between one from Kyle Jackson, who had a team-high seven points.
The Bandits took two fourth-quarter penalties on a Tehoka Nanticoke goaltender interference and a Steve Priolo cross-check.
Ian MacKay scored a shorthanded goal, but the penalties proved costly.
“Good teams find ways to win and we’re not finding ways to win,” Bandits coach John Tavares said. “We’re finding ways to lose this year. We need to turn that page.”
Tavares said the loss shared similarities to another close defeat in the Ottawa game, when a lack of discipline and penalties were detrimental.
Tavares said the late power-play opportunities helped the Wings claw their way back in the game and added that for his group to end the four-game losing streak, it has to play smarter.
“Be a little more disciplined and be able to take a hit and not retaliate, or be smart enough not to take a penalty unless it’s a needed penalty,” Tavares said.
“A good penalty isn’t in a prime scoring area. We don’t need to take a penalty in their crease or at center. It goes without saying. Two goal lead, it’s six minutes to go in the game, and we take a penalty, get away with it, score a shorthanded goal and take another penalty. It’s unfortunate, but that got them rolling, and defensively had some breakdowns, they got underneath and scored some athletic goals.”
The Bandits opened the scoring with three consecutive goals in 4:40 from Dhane Smith – who had a team-high seven points – Kyle Buchanan and Clay Scanlan as the latter two scored 18 seconds apart. However, the Wings closed the quarter with four straight goals, including two from O’Neill.
O’Neill – who won the 2023 Tewaaraton Award as the top collegiate player at Duke – had a first-half hat trick as the teams traded goals in the second quarter. The Bandits had six different goal scorers in the first half despite scoring two goals in 20:17 from the 10:20 mark of the first quarter to the 5:03 mark of the second quarter as the score was notched 6-6 at halftime.
The lead changed six times, including twice in the third quarter where Kyle Buchanan scored an incredible behind-the-back goal around two defenders to make it 8-8 late in the stanza.
The score was tied 9-9 heading into the fourth quarter when a go-ahead goal from Ian MacKay was wiped off the board. The Bandits had two goals nullified in the final quarter and MacKay said he spoke with the ref postgame and was informed the overhead angle wasn’t aligned with the low camera, so that point of view was unusable.
Tavares said he was informed by the officials during the game that, “there was no evidence the ball crossed the line” but feltfrom his vantage point, both shots were in.
“I’m frustrated that I’m a coach in the National Lacrosse League and I don’t know the rules,” Tavares said. “I would think the ball hits the mesh, that it’s a goal. That’s what I think. Pretty sure both of themhit the mesh.”
The Bandits have dropped four straight games for the first time since 2018 and fell to a Wings team who entered on a six-game losing streak. The Wings improved to 2-6 after getting 46 saves on 57 shots from Nick Damude.
Damude turned away 20 of Smith’s 22 shots which is a new single-game career-high per NLLstats.com. Josh Byrne was also held scoreless for the first time this season and has three goals in his last four games, a rarity for the storied goal scorer.
Smith said Byrne has been “snake bitten” but knows his longtime running mate will get shots to fall. Tavares said its not just individual performances to pinpoint but on the collective group to right the ship.
“It was tough talk after the game, because the guys are working hard,” Tavares said. “I just said everybody needs to be better. We need to be better. Everybody needs to be a little bit better than they are giving right now. We need a little more, and whatever your role is on the team, we need you to be better than you’ve been. Whether it’s goal scoring, defense, transition, face off, goaltending, everybody needs to be better collectively. We’re scratching right now to get a win, and seems like the hardest thing to do right now. Four game losing streak and it’s not fun. Guys that work their work their butts off, and they’re not getting rewarded. You need to be smart. You can’t just work hard and make silly plays.”
Bandits shake up lineup for “new legs”
Tavares shook up the roster and inserted three new pieces that didn’t play in the Jan. 31 loss to the Colorado Mammoth.
Defenseman Zack Belter returned to game action after sustaining an injury on Jan. 3 against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. He was activated from injured reserve on Jan. 27 but was scratched against the Mammoth.
Defenseman Taylor Dooley was reinserted for the first time since Jan. 10 against the Rochester Knighthawks after veteran Kiel Matisz was released on Wednesday.
Forward Ryan Benesch was scratched and second year forward Lukas Nielsen was slid back into the lineup for the first time since Jan. 3. Nielsen scored a sensational one-handed goal as he drew two defenders and went around the shoulder of Damude with his outstretch stick in his left hand.
The bench went into rapture and erupted as Nielsen scored his second career goal. Smith called Nielsen “an unbelievable lacrosse player” and Tavares said having Dooley and Nielsen in the lineup was an attempt at adding a youthful jolt.
“With Matisz, we just thought after the last game, it was nothing personal,” Tavares said. “Matisz is a consummate professional. He was great. Tough call for me to make with Matisz, for sure. Just trying to find some youth and some energy on the squad. We just we’re just getting a little bit flat at times, especially after the Colorado game. Unfortunately for Matisz that we let him go, and we brought Dooley up from the practice roster, played him and played Nielsen today, just to find some young energies, some legs, just a new look.”
Up next
The Bandits hit the road for its second matchup this season with the Halifax Thunderbirds on Saturday, Feb. 14. Faceoff is set for 6:30 p.m.